Fair Trade and Food Sovereignty [Research Assistant]

Alternative Tours – Perspectives on Fair Trade and Food Sovereignty 
Prof. Lindsay Naylor 
Geography
The Project: Interest in where our food comes from and how it is grown has increased substantially in the last decade in the US and Europe. As part of this food politics consumers have demanded local food, organic food, slow food, fair trade certified products and so on. Such demands align with activism around food sovereignty–or the people’s right to a democratic food system. Moreover, consumers in the US and Europe, are increasingly seeking to support farmers in the developing world through the purchase of items (such as coffee, bananas and chocolate) with a fair trade premium price or through solidarity networks tied to food sovereignty. In some cases, consumers have taken their purchasing power further and have taken the opportunity to visit farmers and producers in the developing world through fair trade and food sovereignty tours. This project is concerned with alternative forms of tourism, food sovereignty, fair trade and the perspectives of producers, consumers and trade operators who are striving for more egalitarian and secure access to food and agricultural resources.
Research Assistant Tasks: This project is in its developmental stages. The research assistant will be primarily focused on identifying, retrieving and reviewing source material for the project. I expect that the student will spend a few weeks identifying key literature that will assist with situating the project. The remainder of the semester will be used for reading, reviewing and reporting on the literature gathered for the project. Topics for research include: fair trade, food sovereignty, eco-tourism, justice tourism and agro-tourism.
Time Commitment: 1-3 hours per week
Credit Hour Option: 1
Application Instructions: Please send a current resume and a cover letter by email as a pdf
Your cover letter should address the following:
– research experience or related work
– academic interests and related coursework
– expectations for research assistantship
Contact Email: naylor@gwu.edu