Week 10: The public sphere

Question 1

Jones

Answer 1

(2017) - Band Aid 1980s

7 points:

1. Impact of media –> Ethiopian famine became major political issue
2. Celebrity humanitarianism –> Live Aid concerts raised more than £150 million
3. = blow to the “ideology of selfishness” of Thatcher government
4. Shift of charity and welfare –> away from the state to + individualised and market-driven forms of action through consumption and mass culture
5. = marketised philanthropy
6. Band-Aid relied on simplistic and graphic images of starving African children –> shock and capture attention presenting children as objects of pity to be saved by benevolence of Western celebrities and donors = colonialism
7. Politics became + commercialised, mediated and image-conscious

Question 2

Dogra

Answer 2

(2011) - 3rd World Women

4 points:

1. Discursive apparatus of organisations –> overall gendering of global poverty and dev
2. GN = percieved as > than GS women -> Non-western women as victims
3. This representation “freezes 3rd World women in time, space and history”
4. INGOs must address underlying issues of ideologies and power of their message

Question 3

Hassid and Jeffreys

Answer 3

(2015) - China celebrities

2 points:

1. Celebrities = not exposure for a cause, but for themselves
2. China’s political system = all about the state –> Celebrity endorsement has little impact

Question 4

Peuchaud

Answer 4

(2014) - HarassMap

3 points:

1. Social media activism / health activism
2. Sexual harassment = a tool of political repression
3. Balloon effect ?

Question 5

Lecture

Answer 5

1. NGOs engage with public for: advocacy, awareness and fundraising –> issues of legitimacy, representation and effectiveness
2. Liberation Technology:
3. Social media - now = self-representation - isn’t neutral - can be useful and harmful
4. Twitter: Katy Perry (93.6 million) Obama (85.7million) UNICEF (5.93 million)
5. NGOs and celebrities - both benefit
6. cult of celebrities = new “opium of the mass” (Rose)
7. celebrity diplomacy
8. celebrities = new actors in dev and here to stay (Brockington, 2014)
9. issue of due diligence and being associated

Question 6

Extra

Answer 6

1. McDougall (2006) - cult of celebrities and NGOs (Gucci launched Christmas Gift collection with UNICEF but sweatshops)
2. The Guardian “Global development” section - public more aware of issues relating to crises, human rights etc
3. Article BBC “Does the UN mean anything to young people?”
4. Agier (2008): Hurricane Katrina media attention
5. W1: Mitlin et al (2007) Gramsci public opinion = key connection between CS and state
6. W4: Hillhorst and Jansen (2010) - results/media and Redfield (2010) - some favour certain disasters
7. W8: Lewis (2014) pressure from public so don’t show difficulties of management, need to show results to keep funding coming