Book Review Forum: Batman Saves the Congo: How Celebrities Disrupt the Politics of Development

Abstract

This forum brings together a diverse group of scholars from political geography, international relations, critical organisation studies, global development, international studies and political sociology to explore the debates and dynamics of celebrity engagement with development and humanitarianism. The contributions here come from a series of roundtables organised in 2021, including one at the 6th World Conference on Humanitarian Studies of the International Humanitarian Studies Association in Paris that discussed the findings and insights of the book Batman Saves the Congo: How Celebrities Disrupt the Politics of Development (University of Minnesota Press, 2021). With contributions from: Miriam Bradley, Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI); Róisín Read, University of Manchester; Polly Pallister-Wilkins, University of Amsterdam; Samentha Goethals, SKEMA Business School; Joel R. Pruce, University of Dayton

Keywords

• celebrity
• humanitarianism
• development
• disruption
• partnerships
• accountability
• narratives
• aid