This book is a study of compassion as a global project from Biafra to Live Aid. Kevin O'Sullivan explains how and why NGOs became the primary conduits of popular concern for the global poor between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s and shows how this shaped the West's relationship with the post-colonial world. Drawing on case studies from Britain, Canada and Ireland, as well as archival material from governments and international organisations, he sheds new light on how the legacies of empire were re-packaged and re-purposed for the post-colonial era, and how a liberal definition of benevolence, rooted in charity, justice, development and rights became the dominant expression of solidarity with the Third World. In doing so, the book provides a unique insight into the social, cultural and ideological foundations of global civil society. It reveals why this period provided such fertile ground for the emergence of NGOs and offers a fresh interpretation of how individuals in the West encountered the outside world.
Explores how and why NGOs became the primary conduits of popular compassion for the global poor and how this shaped the West's relationship with the post-colonial world.About the AuthorKevin O'Sullivan is a Lecturer in History at National University of Ireland, Galway. He has written extensively on NGOs, aid, global justice, and human rights, including the book, Ireland, Africa and the End of Empire (2012). He is co-editor of the Royal Irish Academy's Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series.
Book InformationISBN 9781108708548
Author Kevin O'SullivanFormat Paperback
Page Count 300
Imprint Cambridge University PressPublisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 420g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 153mm * 15mm