[ecrea] CFP: The Political Economy of Celebrity Activism

Call for Chapters: The Political Economy of Celebrity Activism



In early 2014, Hollywood actor Scarlet Johansson provoked a critical 
response from the UK charity Oxfam, for whom she functioned as an 
ambassador. The star had recently signed a promotional deal with 
SodaStream, the manufacturer of a carbonated drinks machine, with 
headquarters in Israel and a factory situated in a controversial 
settlement in the West Bank. Such settlements, Oxfam asserted, have been 
linked to the on-going poverty of the location's Palestinian 
inhabitants. Johansson's dual role as the public face of both a 
for-profit company and a non-profit organisation critical of that 
company provoked considerable controversy, and ultimately contributed to 
the star standing down from her role within the charity. While 
Johansson's example highlights the value of contemporary celebrity as a 
promotional aid to those within the ostensibly separate domains of 
charity and business, it also points to the interconnected nature of the 
contemporary promotional environment in which celebrities mediate both 
activist ideals and business initiatives. More to the point, it 
highlights the potential for political-economic tensions between these 
two facets of contemporary celebrity.



This edited collection seeks contributions that explore the political 
economic implications of contemporary celebrity activism. Chapters might 
include analyses of how political economy approaches aid our 
understandings of celebrity activism, or how key agents within business, 
philanthropy and charity might be impacted by the economic structures 
underpinning celebrity activism and  political and economic philosophies 
that shape it.



The aim of this book is to bring together innovative and current 
research on the political economy of celebrity activism that not only 
explores the types of tensions presented in Johansson's example but 
unpacks celebrity activism from a variety of political economic angles. 
A diversity of case studies which include celebrities from around the 
world, and which encompass both the developed and developing world, is 
strongly encouraged. Chapters might include, but are by no means limited to,



·         The role of sponsorship in celebrity activism and 
relationships between for- and non-profit organisations



·         Non-state actors and celebrity ambassadors



·         Celebrity, marketisation and branding within the non-profit sector



·         The political economy of celebrity-run foundations



·         Economic transparency and celebrity activism



·         Celebrity activism after the financial crisis and in the 'Age 
of Austerity'



·         The social capital of celebrity activism



·         Economic models of celebrity activism within emerging economies



·         Comparative analyses of celebrity activism in different 
sectors, regions or historical periods



·         Celebrity activism, Occupy and 'post-neoliberalism'



·         Celebrity and 'Green Capitalism'



·         Celebrity activism and the economics of post-natural disaster 
reconstruction



·         Celebrity activism, globalisation and neo-colonialism





Keen interest has already been expressed by Routledge to include this 
book in their successful on-going book series 'Popular Culture and World 
Politics.' The collection will be comprised of approximately 10-12 
chapters of around 7,000 words. Publication has been scheduled for late 
2015.



Should you be interested in contributing or have any further questions, 
please contact me at (nfarrell /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk). The deadline for a 
200-300 word abstract and short (2-3 line) biography of author/s is 15th 
September 2014.



Kind regards,



Nathan Farrell







Dr Nathan Farrell
Lecturer in Communication & Media

Room W334, The Media School
Bournemouth University
Talbot Campus
Poole
Dorset
BH12 5BB
Tel: 01202 966739
Email: (NFarrell /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk)









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