Editors: Ben Offiler and Rachel Williams

Proposals by: 21.05.2021

The Editors invite chapter proposals for our forthcoming edited collection, American Philanthropy at Home and Abroad: From Civil War to Cold War. Currently under contract at Bloomsbury, the collection explores how concepts of philanthropy and giving have evolved throughout American history. The authors trace how charities, local associations, religious organisations, and philanthropic foundations have engaged with and sought to shape American politics, society and relations with the wider world.

Regrettably, the challenges posed by the ongoing global pandemic have obliged some contributors to withdraw from the collection, and we are keen to utilise the additional space this has created to showcase new and exciting scholarship in this wide field. By encouraging scholars to offer broad and contrasting definitions of „philanthropy“ – and, by extension, of who we consider a „philanthropist“ – the Editors hope to demonstrate the richness and diversity of the history of philanthropy, and to propose alternative fields of inquiry beyond the „Big Three“: Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Ford.

American philanthropists and philanthropic narratives have both upheld and challenged colonial and imperial assumptions and structures; they have both aimed to ameliorate the position of, and have worked to exclude, marginalised communities. That is to say, histories of American philanthropy (whether operating within or outside the United States) intersect inescapably with histories of race, racism, and colonialism. The Editors are keen to include chapters which illustrate the complexity of these intersections, and which engage with people of colour not only as targets or recipients of philanthropy, but rather as practitioners and theorists.

Proposals from colleagues at any stage in their career are welcome, including postgraduate and early career researchers, and we particularly encourage scholars traditionally underrepresented in the academy, especially BIPOC scholars.

Please send proposals of no more than 300 words, along with a short CV, to Ben Offiler b.offiler@shu.ac.uk and Rachel Williams r.williams3@hull.ac.uk by May 21st, 2021. Completed chapters will be no longer than 8000 words and will be due no later than August 31st, 2021.

Source: H-Net Notifications