Towards a "Friday' model of international trade: a feminist deconstruction of race and gender bias in the Robinson Crusoe trade allegory

A feminist deconstruction of the Robinson Crusoe trade allegory reveals the race and gender biases inherent in four assumptions underlying neoclassical economics and trade theory: Homo Economicus; freedom of choice; absence of barriers to switching labour and pursuing self-interest; and uniformity of the nation. Examples from the electronics and garment industries illustrate that socially constructed race and gender identities mediate an individual's articulation into the economy. A "Friday' trade allegory, based on the relationship between Crusoe and Friday in the original novel, which explicitly recognizes the trade implications of racialized and gendered labour, is argued to provide a more relevant trade model. -Author