Paper short abstract:

Building on two years of ethnographic fieldwork with grassroots, retail food co-ops in London, this paper argues that they attempt to reconfigure the relationship between volunteers and aid recipients due to the joint ideals of humanitarianism and mutual aid

Paper long abstract:

Since the Rochdale Pioneers came together in the mid-19th century to found one of the first consumer co-operatives in the UK, the concepts of self-help and mutual aid have been at the heart of the movement. Just as the Pioneers were responding to the impacts of political-economic change, so are contemporary food co-ops, many of which are volunteer-led. Building on two years of ethnographic fieldwork with two food co-ops in London - one set up by anarchist squatters in the late 1980s as an autonomous, association of volunteers, the other as a community centre project at a time when New Labour were actively promoting community-based coping strategies - this paper asks what voluntarism and humanitarianism mean within the context of the food co-operative imaginary.

Although the political ideals and motivations for starting a food co-op today can differ, at the core of their activities is the humanitarian ethic of providing 'others' and 'selves' with access to more affordable and healthy food. The provision of mutual-aid and solidarity to fellow volunteers (and sometimes customers) is an equally important aspect of their values. Whether from an anarchist desire to 'build a new political system out of the shell of the old', or the community centre ideal of a more inclusive and caring society, both attempted to foster more co-operative forms of citizenship and sociality. As such, through their values and social practises, grassroots food co-ops attempt to reconfigure the relationship between volunteer and aid recipient, co-operative and neighbourhood, activism and care.