Attracted and repelled: Transnational relations between civil society and the state in the history of the fair trade movement since the 1960s

Dutch transnational relations have often been cast as a struggle between the figures of a self-interested merchant and a morally concerned clergyman. To appreciate the role of civic organizations in transnational relations, this chapter argues that we have to move beyond this simple opposition of interests and ideals. The author demonstrates how attraction and repulsion between state and civic actors created a force field in which the lines between state and civic actors and between national and international policy became blurred. The Netherlands are an excellent point of departure for these studies because of the historically lively interactions between its state and civic actors. Case studies from the movement for fair trade since the 1960s exemplify three roles performed by civic organizations in shaping transnational relations. They functioned as forerunners, shaping public opinion on relevant issues and structuring the international arena through contacts with transnational organizations. Second, they constituted an alternative to government foreign policy and third, these organizations could serve as partners for government policy, providing input, legitimacy and alternative channels of communication.