Charity Philanthropy And Civility In American History

This book presents professional historians addressing the dominant issues and theories offered to explain the history of American philanthropy and its role in American society. The essays develop and enlighten the major themes proposed by the books' editors, oftentimes taking issue with each other in the process. The overarching premise is that philanthropic activity in America has its roots in the desires of individuals to impose their visions of societal ideals or conceptions of truth upon their society. To do so, they have organized in groups, frequently defining themselves and their group's role in society in the process.

Examines complex and diverse links between philanthropy, civil society and globalization as a single theme that goes beyond standard economic interpretations Has the potential to generate interest among a wider audience of academics, public policy makers and administrators in the field of philanthropy, civil society and globalization

International in perspective, the essays in this volume are primarily concerned with two facets of the mixed economy of welfare--charity and mutual aid. Emphasizing the close relationship between these two elements and the often blurred boundaries between each of them and commercial provision, contributors raise crucial questions about the relationship between rights and responsibilities within the mixed economy of welfare and the ties which bind both the donors and recipients of charity and the members of voluntary organisations. The volume critically assesses the relationships between the statutory and voluntary sectors in a variety of national settings, including Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Canada, and Germany during the last two hundred and fifty years, making the book as topical as it is significant.

The essays in this book explore continuities and changes in Europe and North America in the period which straddles the French Revolution. They have been written with the aim of making connections between the substantial historiographies of the early modern and late modern periods; in so doing, they emphasize the new role for voluntary organizations which emerged in the late eighteenth century and draw out the implications of this for received accounts of the development of welfare states. They also compare and explain differences and similarities in the treatment of poverty in different countries within Europe and explore the networks of philanthropy which crossed Europe and spanned the Atlantic. Written from the perspective of donors, the essays are alert to the differing roles of men and women in charitable and philanthropic activity, to the impact of denomination, and to the ways in which philanthropists were drawn into wider reforming movements.

American Philanthropy at Home and Abroad explores the different ways in which charities, voluntary associations, religious organisations, philanthropic foundations and other non-state actors have engaged with traditions of giving. Using examples from the late eighteenth century to the Cold War, the collection addresses a number of major themes in the history of philanthropy in the United States. These examples include the role of religion, the significance of cultural networks, and the interplay between civil diplomacy and international development, as well as individual case studies that challenge the very notion of philanthropy as a social good. Led by Ben Offiler and Rachel Williams, the authors demonstrate the benefits of embracing a broad definition of philanthropy, examining how American concepts including benevolence and charity have been used and interpreted by different groups and individuals in an effort to shape – and at least nominally to improve – people's lives both within and beyond the United States.

The historical displacement of charity by philanthropy represents a radical transformation in how we think about voluntary giving. The consequences of this shift have been socially revolutionary.

A courageous call to free charity from its ideological and economic constraints

Published annually since 1985, the Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic. The Handbook focuses on a comprehensive set of central areas of study in higher education that encompasses the salient dimensions of scholarly and policy inquiries undertaken in the international higher education community. Each annual volume contains chapters on such diverse topics as research on college students and faculty, organization and administration, curriculum and instruction, policy, diversity issues, economics and finance, history and philosophy, community colleges, advances in research methodology and more. The series is fortunate to have attracted annual contributions from distinguished scholars throughout the world.