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32 - Philanthropy

from Part V - Institutional Life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2023

By
China Scherz
Edited by
James Laidlaw
James Laidlaw
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

Only a portion of the anthropological literature on philanthropy, charity, and humanitarianism explicitly engages with literature on the anthropology of ethics and morality, yet all of it describes a field of practice defined by a commitment to precisely these terms – the ethical, the moral, and the good. The first section of this essay reviews works that describe the moral and practical content and effects of philanthropic giving, focussing on the diversity of giving practices, logics, and outcomes. The second section describes how anthropologists have thought about humanitarian and philanthropic practices as the grounds upon and through which people cultivate and enact forms of ethical subjectivity. The third and final section considers anthropology’s relationship to ideas of moral clarity and moral judgement as these terms are used by anthropologists writing about, and taking part in, a range of social projects.

Keywords

philanthropycharitysufferinghumanitarianismwitnessingmoral claritygift exchangesubjectivityreligionmoral judgement
Type
Chapter
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The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Ethics , pp. 817 - 838
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Philanthropy
  • Edited by James Laidlaw, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Ethics
  • Online publication: 11 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108591249.032
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  • Philanthropy
  • Edited by James Laidlaw, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Ethics
  • Online publication: 11 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108591249.032
Available formats
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  • Philanthropy
  • Edited by James Laidlaw, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Ethics
  • Online publication: 11 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108591249.032
Available formats
×