Paper short abstract:

The paper explores ways in which the moral economy is defined and practiced inside the slow food movement. Economic dimensions that are at the heart of Slow Food’s discourse, actions and way of functioning are considered as complementary spaces in the movement political imagination and action.

Paper long abstract:

The paper explores ways in which moral economy is defined and practiced inside the Slow Food movement. Taking the definition of quality consumption and production, respect of environment, and solidarity with small producers as its core aims, this movement has today become a significant actor in the larger debates concerning the problematic of food, agriculture and fishing. Here the analysis concerns Slow Food's economic dimensions that are at the heart of movement's discourse, actions and way of fonctionning. How a "moral economy" is defined and practiced in the daily life of the movement ? The "moral economy" of food performed and defended by Slow Food is conceived partly as an alternative to neoliberalism and partly as a reform of it. And it cohabit with the "real" economy of producers and with more classical way of functioning, from the economic point of view. From this perspective, it is necessary to analyze the different ways of using economic notions, of imagining a new economic order and doing economy as complementary spaces in the movement political imagination and action. The analysis is based on a larger research on the Slow Food movement and on the movement headquarters in Italy started in 2006.