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Fields of Friction - Swedish Farmers’ Negotiations of Fairness, Contradictions and Value in the Context of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement

Brooke-Webb, Emily LU (2026) SANK03 20261
Social Anthropology
Abstract
This thesis examines how Swedish farmers experience and interpret the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, and what these perceptions reveal about broader tensions in the EU agricultural governance. Through an anthropological lens, the findings indicate that concerns are not primarily driven by opposition to trade, but by perceptions of unequal regulatory conditions, contradictory policy goals and reduced farmer autonomy. Drawing on theoretical frameworks regarding friction, audit culture, value and interdependence, this thesis argues that the Mercosur agreement exposes broader tensions between sustainability, market integration and agricultural livelihood. Farmers describe experiences of unfair competition and regulatory asymmetry, they find that... (More)
This thesis examines how Swedish farmers experience and interpret the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, and what these perceptions reveal about broader tensions in the EU agricultural governance. Through an anthropological lens, the findings indicate that concerns are not primarily driven by opposition to trade, but by perceptions of unequal regulatory conditions, contradictory policy goals and reduced farmer autonomy. Drawing on theoretical frameworks regarding friction, audit culture, value and interdependence, this thesis argues that the Mercosur agreement exposes broader tensions between sustainability, market integration and agricultural livelihood. Farmers describe experiences of unfair competition and regulatory asymmetry, they find that the theory of the regulations cannot be made to work in practice and attempts to modify the regulations fall on deaf ears. This results in attempts to make local concerns heard at the European level, through protests and lobbying efforts. The agreement becomes a lens through which larger transformations in EU agriculture are made visible. (Less)
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author
Brooke-Webb, Emily LU
supervisor
organization
course
SANK03 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Swedish Farmers, EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, Social Anthropology, Friction, EU Standardisation Svenska lantbrukare, EU-Mercosur handelsavtal, Socialantropologi, EU standardisering
language
English
id
9237837
date added to LUP
2026-06-15 12:29:42
date last changed
2026-06-15 12:29:42
@misc{9237837,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how Swedish farmers experience and interpret the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, and what these perceptions reveal about broader tensions in the EU agricultural governance. Through an anthropological lens, the findings indicate that concerns are not primarily driven by opposition to trade, but by perceptions of unequal regulatory conditions, contradictory policy goals and reduced farmer autonomy. Drawing on theoretical frameworks regarding friction, audit culture, value and interdependence, this thesis argues that the Mercosur agreement exposes broader tensions between sustainability, market integration and agricultural livelihood. Farmers describe experiences of unfair competition and regulatory asymmetry, they find that the theory of the regulations cannot be made to work in practice and attempts to modify the regulations fall on deaf ears. This results in attempts to make local concerns heard at the European level, through protests and lobbying efforts. The agreement becomes a lens through which larger transformations in EU agriculture are made visible.}},
  author       = {{Brooke-Webb, Emily}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Fields of Friction - Swedish Farmers’ Negotiations of Fairness, Contradictions and Value in the Context of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}