Special Section on Celebrity Humanitarianism: Celebrity Humanitarianism--The Ideology of Global Charity

My book, Celebrity Humanitarianism: The Ideology of Global Charity, focuses on three contemporary types of celebrity humanitarianisms: the global charity work of entertainment stars such as Bono, Geldof, Jolie, and Madonna; the corporate philanthropy of billionaires (Gates, Soros) and big business; and the humanitarian work of ‘spectacular’ NGOs (Save Darfur, Médeçins Sans Frontières), which not only pursue celebrity endorsements for their programs, but are increasingly able to achieve celebrity status themselves to boost fundraising and reach. I attempt an ideology critique of all three types, showing how each strives to ignore or disavow the dirty underside of the neoliberal global order, including the latter’s tendencies towards depoliticization, imperialism, and inequality.