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This chapter explores the boycott within its local context as a form of political consumerism that developed in Egypt, and contextualizes it within the transnational anti-globalization and anti-war movements at the turn of the millennium. It also provides the views and practices of many of the individuals and families, who took an active part in the boycott, as well as those who were keen on showing their opposition to the campaign. The boycott can be seen as a genuine effort related to other attempts by Egyptians to mobilize in support of the Palestinian cause. It shows how authenticity; identity; and local politics affect globalization and consumerism. In general, the boycott is an excellent example of how Egyptian nationalism as well as Arab and Muslim solidarity are being revised and revived in a world where it is often assumed that globalization is leading to a homogenization of cultures, an erosion of local identities, and a lack of influence of the general public in the developing world.

Organic movement strategy has been shaped by changing political, economic, and social conditions. The organic movement has achieved a great deal, although opinions differ regarding the current state of affairs. Most debate centers on the wisdom of having involved the federal government in the organic system. But a larger question is whether the essential market-based strategy of the organic movement is a viable means of creating broad institutional change in the food and agriculture system. While the actions of organic activists are understandable given the historical context in which key strategic decisions were made, ultimately any market-based reform strategy is limited in the scope of change it can bring, and organic will likely remain a niche market. Utilizing market mechanisms may have been the best approach when the movement was politically marginal, but now that organic has achieved mainstream acceptance, activists should redirect more of their energy towards state policies that will challenge the industrial agriculture system as a whole while providing greater support for sustainable alternatives.

Chapter 3 uses survey data to provide an overview of market mechanisms, especially cause marketing—what they are, how they work, and who participates in them. Like other studies, it shows that cause marketing is a very common part of American culture: 80 percent of Americans have seen cause-marketing products in the past month, and 80 percent of people who have seen them have actually purchased one. But unlike other scholarly work, it finds that Americans participate for three distinct reasons: they are ideologically committed to making change through their purchases (lifestyle buyers); they believe in the cause the products support (cause followers); or they would purchase the product even if it did not support a cause (accidental activists). Examining the effects of cause marketing on both intentional and unintentional participators shows that it is both far more common and the impact more pervasive than other scholarly studies find.