View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Texas A&M Repository CONSPICUOUS GIVING A Dissertation by LINDSAY ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2011 Major Subject: Sociology CONSPICUOUS GIVING A Dissertation by LINDSAY ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Stjepan Mestrovic Committee Members, Sarah Gatson William McIntosh Rogelio Saenz Head of Department, Mark Fossett May 2011 Major Subject: Sociology iii ABSTRACT Conspicuous Giving. (May 2011) Lindsay Alexandria Anderson, B.S., Texas A&M University; M.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Stjepan Mestrovic When discussing charity, it is important to recognize that charity and other forms of giving are not solely done out of altruism, but can also be done out of greed and self promotion. It is especially important to recognize when those in power or those who have fame participate in this form of giving, because their actions may be emulated by others. This self aggrandizing giving has been done historically throughout multiple cultures as a way to gain or keep prestige, and also as a way to keep the boundaries between the classes strong. This is an important idea because, as I argue, giving as a way to gain public recognition and to keep social boundaries in place is still occurring today. This form of giving is what I label Conspicuous Charity. This is giving in which the main focuses of the participation in charity are the public and social benefits (such as prestige and recognition) to the givers, whereas the assistance to those in need is but a secondary benefit. The conspicuous use of charity also can take a broader approach, which I label Conspicuous Giving. This form of giving is presently being used as a way to keep those with fame, such as media celebrities, in the limelight, those with high iv standing in the global hierarchy at the top, and those at the top of the racial hierarchy separated from those at the bottom. In order to flesh out the concept of Conspicuous Giving, other forms of giving are also discussed such as Christmas gifts, bribes, and feasting. These cultural events are discussed within the context of multiple cultures as ways to show that using giving in a predatory manner is not a phenomenon unique to Western or even American culture. However, I argue that when it comes to this behavior, Americans are at the forefront of this movement into postmodernity. v DEDICATION The following project is dedicated to my maternal grandmother, Jossie Vell McCuiston-Hankins, who believed in me long before I even knew what belief was. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to give thanks to my committee of Dr. Sarah Gatson, Dr. Alex McIntosh, and Dr. Rogelio Saenz, who have put up with my stressed out emails, my urgent questions and my constant drama. I also want to thank Dr. Jane Sell, who even though not on my committee, always answered my questions and gave me greatly needed advice. However, my deeply neurotic moments were saved specifically for my Chair, Dr. Stjepan Mestrovic, who handled all the insanity I threw his way with graciousness, sarcasm, and message filled silences (depending on what was needed at the time); to him I give the most thanks. On a personal front I want to thank my parents and sister for supporting me in all ways needed; from emotional, physical, many times financial (graduate school is genteel poverty at best), even to caring for my dogs when I needed time to write without squeaky toys going off in the background. I also want to thank all of my closest and oldest friends, Alexis, Ann, Dee, Na, and Marlene, who have supported me throughout my entire academic career even when they thought I was crazy for doing so (can‘t truly disagree). Thanks are also in order for my friends who are in the graduate school trenches with me. There have been too many to name over the years, but they know who they are. Those who deserve special mention are Jen Guillen, Jocelyn Lewis, and Rosemary Neyin as they listened to my sleep-deprived rants on an almost daily basis. Once again, thank you all. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 II CELEBRITY CHARITY ..................................................................... 4 Historical Conspicuousness of Charity .......................................... 24 Noblesse Oblige ............................................................................. 31 Richesse Oblige: Robber Barons, Past and Present ....................... 33 Popularity Oblige: Celebrity Conspicuousness .............................. 47 Natural Catastrophes: The ―Use‖ of Hurricane Katrina ................. 58 Power of Celebrity ......................................................................... 72 III HIERARCHICAL CHARITY ............................................................. 78 Saving the Children? Othering through Charity ............................ 78 Race Relations Within Charity ....................................................... 96 IV GIVING ................................................................................................ 124 Feasting .......................................................................................... 137 Potlatch ........................................................................................... 142 Obligation to Invite ........................................................................ 147 Christmas Gift Giving .................................................................... 151 Bridewealth .................................................................................... 154 Bribes and Guanxi .......................................................................... 157 viii CHAPTER Page V CONSUMPTION ................................................................................. 161 Conspicuous Thinness: Fitness ...................................................... 163 Joy of Cooking ............................................................................... 171 VI CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 183 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 186 VITA ......................................................................................................................... 192 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION When discussing charity, it is important to recognize that charity and other forms of giving are not solely done out of altruism, but can also be done out of greed and self promotion. It is especially important to recognize when those in power or those who have fame participate in this form of giving, because their actions may be emulated by others. This self aggrandizing giving has been done historically throughout multiple cultures as a way to gain or keep prestige, and also as a way to keep the boundaries between the classes strong. This is an important idea because, as I argue, giving as a way to gain public recognition and to keep social boundaries in place is still occurring today. This form of giving is what I label Conspicuous Charity1. This is giving in which the main focuses of the participation in charity are the public and social benefits (such as prestige and recognition) to the givers, whereas the assistance to those in need is but a secondary benefit. The conspicuous use of charity also can take a broader approach, which I label Conspicuous Giving2. This form of giving is presently being used as a way to keep those with fame, such as media celebrities, in the limelight, those with high standing in the global hierarchy at the top, and those at the top of the racial hierarchy separated from those at the bottom. This dissertation follows the style of American Sociological Review. 1 Term coined in Anderson, Lindsay. 2009. ―Conspicuous Charity.‖ pp.273-308 in Co-Opting Culture: Culture and Power in the Sociology and Cultural Studies edited by B. Garrick Harden and Robert Carley. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. 2 Term coined in this dissertation 2 In order to flesh out the concept of Conspicuous Giving, other forms of giving are also discussed such as Christmas gifts, bribes, and feasting. These cultural events are discussed within the context of multiple cultures as ways to show that using giving in a predatory manner is not a phenomenon unique to Western or even American culture. However, I argue that when it comes to this behavior, Americans are at the forefront of this movement into postmodernity. As the original idea of the study of conspicuousness can be attributed to Thorstein Veblen, other concepts of his are also discussed within this document, all of which along with Conspicuous Charity