Ibn Khaldun and Fair Trade: How Tunisia Wrote the Rules
- Safouane Ben Haj Ali
- Oct 2
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 8
Most people hear the phrase fair trade and think of a modern label created in Europe to certify dignity in commerce. But long before the labels, Tunisia had already written the idea itself.
Born in Tunis in 1332, Ibn Khaldun is often called the father of sociology — but his real achievement went further.
He built an entire system of social and economic logic.
In his Muqaddimah, he explained how civilizations rise and fall, how wealth is created, and how fairness keeps systems alive.
Discover in this guide:
Ibn Khaldun’s Logic
At the core of Ibn Khaldun’s thought is a simple truth: no society can last if its system is unjust.
When rulers overtax, when trade loses balance, when dignity is stripped from work, collapse follows.
Centuries before the term fair trade existed, Ibn Khaldun had already written the map:
Dignity of labor → Value comes from the work of people, not rulers or merchants.
Balanced taxation → Systems break when burdens fall unfairly.
Trust in exchange → Prosperity requires honesty between makers and buyers.
In today’s language, it reads like a manifesto for ethical commerce — but it was written on Tunisian soil six hundred years ago.
Tunisia as Origin
The land that produced Ibn Khaldun also produces Sejnane pottery, olive oil from thousand-year-old trees, and honey gathered by hand.
When My Chakchouka says A Fair System, it isn’t chasing a global trend. It is continuing a line of thought that runs from Ibn Khaldun’s pen to today’s artisans.
From Theory to Practice
For Ibn Khaldun, fairness was not abstract philosophy, it was a structural condition that kept civilizations alive.
For us, it’s the same principle in commerce today:
Paying artisans directly
Refusing middlemen who dilute value
Building dignity into every step of the chain
The same clarity Ibn Khaldun demanded of rulers, we demand of modern trade.
Tunisia’s Enduring Gift
When you hold a piece of Tunisian craft, you’re not holding nostalgia.
You’re touching a current that has been running since the fourteenth century.
Tunisia gave the world one of its first systemic theories of fairness, and that legacy lives each time an artisan is paid fully, an object is built to last, or a system holds without waste.
Fair trade did not arrive from elsewhere. It started here.
FAQ
Who was Ibn Khaldun?
A Tunisian scholar born in 1332, author of The Muqaddimah, which founded modern sociology and economic thought.
What did Ibn Khaldun say about fairness and trade?
He argued that when justice disappears, prosperity and social cohesion collapse — a principle that anticipates modern fair-trade values.
Why is Tunisia linked to the origins of fair trade?
Because Ibn Khaldun’s economic logic was born on Tunisian soil and continues through its craft traditions today.
How does My Chakchouka apply this philosophy?
By paying artisans directly, removing middlemen, and ensuring transparency in every step of production.
Where can I learn more about Tunisia’s Fair System?
Explore our Fair System page to see how the principles of Ibn Khaldun live in our work today.
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