Publishing information:
David C. Hammack and Steven Heydemann (Eds)
Bloomington, Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, June 2009. 320pp. Hardback. ISBN 978-0-253-35303-0. $45
The foreword to this edited volume correctly notes that, “Analytically constructed studies of philanthropy are in short supply” and books that do appear tend to be either “self-congratulatory, mostly boring insider accounts” or “shrill denunciations by outsiders”. Yet as Peter Frumkin has noted elsewhere, philanthropic studies is a tempting target for study, "ripe for systematic thinking and reconceptualisation". This book aims to demonstrate the value of social scientific studies of philanthropy. It tackles its specific task of studying efforts to spread ideas and practices by means of the donation of money, goods, human action and ideas through the movement of models for the organisation of such activities as medical care, education, advocacy, social improvement and cultural expression. As the 10 chapters are written by academics, the language can be impenetrable (‘hegemonic’ and ‘isomorphism’ appear on the first two pages) but the topic is important. It is worth borrowing a copy to read at least the introductory chapter on ‘Philanthropic Projections’ which provides an overview of how the institutional logics of philanthropy are spread around the globe.
