Benevolent Empire

U.S. Power, Humanitarianism, and the World's Dispossessed

Bibliographic Data

ID23552256
AuthorsStephen R Porter (0000-0002-5474-5126)
Year2017
Pages296
Publication date2017-12-31
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueBenevolent Empire (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherUniversity of Pennsylvania Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.9783/9780812293296
OpenAlexW4252707276
Open LibraryOL33546696M
ISBN9780812293296
LanguageIT
Citations received9

Stephen Porter's Benevolent Empire examines political-refugee aid initiatives and related humanitarian endeavors led by American people and institutions from World War I through the Cold War, opening an important window onto the "short American century." Chronicling both international relief efforts and domestic resettlement programs aimed at dispossessed people from Europe, Latin America, and East Asia, Porter asks how, why, and with what effects American actors took responsibility for millions of victims of war, persecution, and political upheaval during these decades. Diverse forces within the American state and civil society directed these endeavors through public-private governing arrangements, a dynamic yielding both benefits and liabilities. Motivated by a variety of geopolitical, ethical, and cultural reasons, these advocates for humanitarian action typically shared a desire to portray the United States, to the American people and international audiences, as an exceptional, benevolent world power whose objects of concern might potentially include any vulnerable people across the globe. And though reality almost always fell short of that idealized vision, Porter argues that this omnivorous philanthropic energy helped propel and steer the ascendance of the United States to its position of elite global power. The messaging and administration of refugee aid initiatives informed key dimensions of American and international history during this period, including U.S. foreign relations, international humanitarianism and human rights, global migration and citizenship, and American political development and social relations at home. Benevolent Empire is thus simultaneously a history of the United States and the world beyond.

Ancient history · Empire · History · Political Economy and Marxism · Psychology · Humanitarian assistance · International relief · Refugees · united states

Tools

Open DOILibgen