Research
08.10.2018

New book examines the politics of language in world trade

Clara Weinhardt is co-editor of The Language of World Trade Politics: Unpacking the Terms of Trade.

Playing on the economic and linguistic double-meaning of the phrase 'terms of trade', Hertie School Lecturer in International Relations Clara Weinhardt and political scientist Claus Dingewerth of the University of St. Gallen have co-edited a new book that looks closely at the language that describes, challenges and defends the politics of world trade.  The Language of World Trade Politics: Unpacking the Terms of Trade, published in August 2018 by Routledge, asks how and by whom the meanings of language used in trade politics have been constructed. How have they changed over time and with what consequences?

The book’s twelve contributors examine concepts used to discuss trade – terms like ‘multilateralism’ or ‘inclusive growth’, or even more figurative terms describing the trading environment as ‘sick’ or ‘healthy’. The authors explore the concepts we use to talk about the international trade regime, critically examining how language is used strategically.

“If these terms shape how we imagine trade politics, they are not merely analytical lenses; and if actors are aware of the power of words, they will seek to employ them to make sense of  world trade politics in particular ways; to make some aspects of reality visible and others invisible, to make some aspects seem problematic while normalizing others, or to make some responses appear reasonable while others remain ‘incomprehensible’,” the editors write in their introduction to the book. 

Reflecting on ten key concepts from ‘trade’ itself to ‘protectionism’ and ‘justice’, the editors and contributors draw on a broad range of theoretical approaches, from post-structuralism or cognitivism to normative theory, shedding new light on why certain trade issues and agendas win out over others, who benefits from the current system of trade governance, and what contemporary challenges the World Trade Organization faces.

Read more about the book or order a copy here

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