Rotary International and the Selling of American Capitalism

The Rotary Club emblem, with its immediately recognizable iconography of a yellow and blue wheel with six inner spokes, twenty-four exterior cogs, and “Rotary International” emblazoned within, is present on signs that dot American roadways in large cities and small towns alike. These signs are so quotidian a sight that, aside from Rotary members themselves and perhaps their families, most passing motorists likely give little thought to the work of the organization or to its broader historical significance. Brendan Goff's Rotary International and the Selling of American Capitalism remedies this. It tells the story of the organization from its 1905 founding onward, with an emphasis on explaining how Rotary International (Ri) promoted a U.S.-inflected ideology of “civic internationalism,” market capitalism, and community service as it established chapters worldwide” (p. 4). The book is luminous—beautifully written and smartly constructed—showcasing Goff's thorough research and his skillful analysis of the evolving racial, gender, class, and religious norms that came into play as Ri chapters spread throughout, and then out from, the United States

Archaeology · Art · Art history · Aside · Capitalism · Club · Emblem · Iconography · Ideology · Internationalism (politics · Literature · Political science · Politics · Sociology · History · Law · Race, History, and American Society