This edited collection brings together scholarly works of both a theoretical and empirical nature to critically analyse the forms and functions of the contemporary celebrity activist and to examine how these intersect with the political economic structures in which celebrity activists operate. Collectively, the volume illuminates some of the inherent tensions between the ethos of solidarity and compassion that the celebrity activist works to generate on the one hand and the processes of corporate sponsorship and discourses of individualism upon which the celebrity often depends, on the other. By offering empirical case studies that situate instances of celebrity activism within specific political contexts, the collection highlights how celebrity activism intersects with some of the underlying structures of gender politics and political discourses such as neoliberalism. In addition, the volume discusses how the tensions between, for example, individualism and solidarity can raise important questions about the authenticity of individual celebrity activists and how individual celebrity activists work, with varying degrees of success, to obfuscate such tensions and obscure the potential contradictions of their work. This book will be of great interest to students and academics within the fields of politics, international development, political communication, social movements, activism studies, and celebrity culture.

In recent years, celebrities from George Clooney to Bono to Angelina Jolie have attempted to play an increasingly important role in global politics. Celebrity activism is an ever-growing, internationally visible phenomenon yet the impact of these high-profile humanitarians on public awareness, government support, and mobilization of resources remains under-researched. Bringing together a diverse group of contributors from media studies and public diplomacy, "Transnational Celebrity Activism in Global Politics"aims to fill that void with a new interdisciplinary framework for the analysis of celebrity activism in international relations."

In this new book, Mark Wheeler offers the first in-depth analysis of the history, nature and global reach of celebrity politics today. Celebrity politicians and politicized celebrities have had a profound impact upon the practice of politics and the way in which it is now communicated. New forms of political participation have emerged as a result and the political classes have increasingly absorbed the values of celebrity into their own PR strategies. Celebrity activists, endorsers, humanitarians and diplomats also play a part in reconfiguring politics for a more fragmented and image-conscious public arena. In academic circles, celebrity may be viewed as a ‘manufactured product’; one fabricated by media exposure so that celebrity activists are no more than ‘bards of the powerful.’ Mark Wheeler, however, provides a more nuanced critique contending that both celebrity politicians and politicized stars should be defined by their ‘affective capacity’ to operate within the public sphere. This timely book will be a valuable resource for students of media and communication studies and political science as well as general readers keen to understand the nature and reach of contemporary celebrity culture.

Becoming Brands: Celebrity, Activism and Politics explores how celebrities form their brand identities and employ them to enact political, social, and economical change. The book examines the intricate interrelations between power, persona, activism, philanthropy and feminism. Key questions examined by the authors are: how celebrity personas are deployed in on-and-off screen contexts; how on-and-off screen activity impacts on celebrity brand identities; and how consistent messages are conveyed. These questions are explored through case studies including global celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson, Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Clint Eastwood, Freddie Mercury, and Paul Newman. Additionally, national perspectives are included through exploration of Polish rock-star-turned politician Pawel Kukiz, and feminist Turkish character Driver Nebahat. The aim of this book is to investigate the co-dependent relationship of fame and activism. Whether it is celebrities bringing attention to activism or activists gaining fame, their brand identities can make a difference.

In the age of networked publics and global viral publicity, celebrity is transnational. Its circulation illuminates global, national, and local dynamics of power and resistance. Celebrity shapes concepts of race, gender, class, and national identity on a global scale. Governments use transnational celebrity as evidence of their country’s cultural power, transmuting cultural influence into economic and political power. Meanwhile, celebrities who cross borders become potent and contested icons of national identity. At the grassroots level, citizens in diverse geographic contexts are becoming increasingly fluent in the global language of celebrity and are mobilizing it in new ways for personal and political projects. Reaching beyond the Global North, this book showcases research on transnational celebrity as a technology of soft power and counter-hegemonic organizing, and as a driver of discourses of race and migration. It also explores self-presentation and self-branding in the globalized attention economy. This book demonstrates the need for a renewed politicized treatment of the topic of celebrity in its transnational and globalizing reach. The chapters in this book were originally published in the journal Popular Communication.

Celebritocracy delves into celebrity activism while tearing apart most of the highly publicized charitable and activist efforts of your favorite celebrities. Why did George Clooney back off of Darfur? How did Oprah’s attempt to help Katrina victims go terribly wrong? While Kim Kardashian has done great things for criminal justice reform, did her activism on behalf of Armenian genocide set the cause back decades? And did you know that the famed Dodd-Frank Act has a small bit of pork barrel politics wedged into it—urged on by actress Robin Wright—that put thousands of lives in jeopardy in the DRC? Celebritocracy exposes nonfictional accounts of the many instances when celebrity activism ended up causing more harm than good.