Inaugural lecture by Professor Lisa Ann Richey

On 1 February 2019, Lisa Ann Richey gave her inaugural lecture as professor at MSC and CBDS.

Have you purchased a bottle of Kildevæld water that promises clean water for African children, bought a soft toy from IKEA for families affected by disaster, or perhaps drank a ‘cup of hope’ with Starbucks coffee from Eastern Congo? Today’s marketplace is inundated with products supporting humanitarian causes that promise to give aid to distant beneficiaries, provide ‘good feelings’ to consumers and promote the brands of corporations and humanitarian NGOs.

These ‘Brand Aid’ initiatives provide a neoliberal solution to humanitarian crises and sustainable development challenges by

linking privatized politics of consumption to global change. Lisa Ann Richey's inaugural lecture drew on two decades of research examining the relationships between global values and local practices of ‘humanitarianism’ to understand how ‘helping’ has become a marketable commodity and how this impacts humanitarianism both symbolically and materially.

This lecture explored the implications of commodifying compassion for business, politics and individual social relations.