Book Launch | Trade Fetishism: Magical and Materialistic Thinking in Global Political Economy
Date
Thursday October 8, 20261:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Location
Mackintosh-Corry Hall, D214Presented by Studies in National and International Development (SNID)
Why do trade agreements promise so much and disappoint so often?
Join David Fridell and Patrick Clark for a SNID seminar on their book Trade Fetishism, which argues that trade functions as collective fantasy. The book analyzes trade agreements as near-magical solutions to complex problems considering why faith in these agreements persists even as they so often fall short of their objectives.
Dr. Gavin Fridell is a University Research Professor in Political Studies and Global Development Studies at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. His research focused on global trade policy, greening trade, global value chains, and psychoanalytic social theory.
Dr. Patrick Clark is a Visiting Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre on Latin America and the Caribbean at York University. His research focuses on political economy, rural development, smallholder agriculture, cooperatives, and sustainability in Latin America.
Everyone welcome!