Ethnographies of the moral economy. Emergent rationalities and practices in Spain

Abstract

This monograph proposes a situated reading of the moral economy based on the ethnographic analysis of transformative initiatives linked to the social and solidarity economy. It explores not only the concrete ways in which moral values are mobilised in specific economic contexts, but also the tensions, ambiguities and contradictions that arise in this process. By discussing the five articles in the monograph, we contribute in this introduction to the theoretical debate around the concept of moral economy from a relational, contextual and situated perspective. Central themes discussed in the articles are wage equality, reciprocity in horizontal organizations, the sexual division of labor, the tension between self-care and self-exploitation or idealistic militancy confronted with the need for growth and income. The cases studied are cooperatives, associations and foundations operating in different Spanish autonomous communities, including Navarra, Catalonia, Andalusia, Madrid and Asturias. The initiatives observed work in different economic sectors such as waste management, childcare, elderly care and domestic work, food distribution and agroecological food. In this introduction we discuss the concept of the moral economy as a backbone of the five case studies. We discuss the nature of these moral contexts of economic activity and argue for an ethnographic approach that increases awareness of the difference between moral objectives and everyday practices. Our analytical gaze conceives moral commitments as both a product and a producer of economic interaction.