BOYCOTTS AND THE SOCIAL ENFORCEMENT OF JUSTICE Academic Article

abstract

• Abstract:This essay examines the ethics of boycotting as a social response to injustice or wrongdoing. The boycotts in question are collective actions in which private citizens withdraw from or avoid consumer or cultural interaction with parties perceived to be responsible for some transgression. Whether a particular boycott is justified depends, not only on the reasonableness of the underlying moral critique, but also on what the boycotters are doing in boycotting. The essay considers four possible interpretations of the kind of act in which boycotting consists: the avoidance of complicity, protest speech, social punishment, or social coercion. Each interpretation provides a plausible account of at least some cases of boycotting, yet each raises distinct challenges to justifying boycotting activities.

authors

• Radzik, Linda

altmetric score

• 1.5

author list (cited authors)

• Radzik, L.

citation count

• 8

complete list of authors

• Radzik, Linda

publication date

• January 2017

publisher

• Cambridge University Press (CUP)  Publisher

published in

• Social Philosophy and Policy  Journal

keywords

• Boycott
• Protest
• Social Avoidance
• Social Coercion

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1017/S026505251700005X

start page

• 102

end page

• 122

volume

• 34

issue

• 1

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s026505251700005x

user-defined tag

• 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions