Abstract
This chapter considers what Philip Drake and Michael Higgins call “the increasingly interwoven nature of celebrity and politics”(87), focusing in particular on the politics of humanitarian intervention. In recent years, celebrity involvement in international political and charity campaigning has attracted much comment and attention. Yet the discussion tends to be superficial and preoccupied with the personal motivations of individuals, often implicitly “ranking” celebrities according to a hierarchy of credibility. For example, socialite Paris Hilton attracted derision when, in 2007, she announced that she intended to visit Rwanda. One journalist predicted that she would “parade around […] in an insincere way”(Kron); another commented that it would not help Rwanda to be “embraced by the personification of decadence”.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Celebrity Colonialism |
| Subtitle of host publication | Fame, Power and Representation in Colonial and Postcolonial Cultures |
| Editors | Robert Clarke |
| Publisher | Cambridge Scholars Publishing |
| Pages | 107—22 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1443813518 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |