Media, Democracy & Diversity: The Politics of Giving

This session will critically examine discourses of humanitarianism, development, and non-profit organizations in the context of the Haitian earthquake. How can we think critically about humanitarianism and development initiatives within a longer history of colonial “civilizing missions” and imperial interventions? How can we think of humanitarianism as a political endeavor? Have NGOs contributed or hampered the development of civil society in Haiti? What are the different benefits and consequences of NGO initiatives versus political activism? Speakers: * Peter Redfield, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill * Jennie Smith-Pariola, Otterbein College * Yarimar Bonilla, University of Virginia, moderator