The International Co-Operative Alliance and the Consumer Co-Operative Movement in Northern Europe, c. 1860-1939

(Hardback)

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Description

The book examines the history of co-operation in the broad context of the history of consumerism and consumption; of internationalism and the development of international organisations; and debates about international trade during the inter-war period. The fundamental question explored in the book concerns the meaning of co-operation. Was it a social movement or an economic enterprise Did it aspire to challenge capitalism or to reform it Did it contain at its heart a political vision for the transformation of society or was it simply a practical guide for organising a business Hilson argues that it was both, but that an examination of the debates over the different meanings of co-operation can also illuminate broader questions about the emergence of consumer interests in the first half of the twentieth century, especially in a transnational context. -- .

Reviews

The study convincingly situates the co-operative movements of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and although less extensively Norway in the various politics and practices of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).
Frederik Forrai rskov, University of Helsinki, Finland, Scandinavian Journal of History, 2019

Author Bio

Mary Hilson is Professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies at Aarhus University