Compassion is a key moral emotion of liberal modernity. Traditionally, it is seen as an unproblematic moral compass, both theoretically and ethico-politically. This applies especially in the case of humanitarian action, which hinges on the compassionate impulses of individuals – to care, to give and to act – in the face of distant suffering. The article takes a critical approach to compassion. It argues that humanitarian action is incomprehensible outside of a general theory of how compassion structures the encounter between the suffering object of relief and the caring public. It does this by elaborating a pragmatist and eclectic approach to compassion in which seemingly internal affective responses have a socio-political existence and are already enabled by productive power, in particular by socially circulated and embodied narrative frames. By engaging a representative sample of NGO imagery related to the 2010 post-earthquake response in Haiti, the article illustrates not only how specific narrative frames seek to both elicit and govern the ways of feeling compassion, but also how these aesthetic and emotional practices are ethico-politically problematic in portraying distant sufferers and facilitating action. As a result, the benevolent self-image of compassion becomes circumspect. The article concludes by exploring two alternative avenues for compassion and caring.
PurposeThis paper explores the communication of legitimacy in the annual reports of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing specifically on the function of images. The visual mode of discourse and meaning construction has to date only scarcely been explored in legitimacy research, especially in the NGO context.Design/methodology/approachDistinguishing between normative, regulatory, cognitive and outcome legitimacy, the paper inquires into the kinds of legitimacy that NGOs communicate to their constituents and the claims that predominate. Turning to research on impression management, the paper explores whether and how organizations use images as symbolic mechanisms of legitimacy. Finally, the paper considers the socio-cultural implications of these legitimation strategies for beneficiary groups, donor communities and the organizations themselves.FindingsA qualitative content analysis of images in the reports of the eight influential members of the US-based Global Emergency Response Coalition confirms the widespread presence of legitimacy claims in NGO visual communications, with normative (especially need) and output (especially implementation) categories predominating. However, these practices are potentially contradictory; measures to increase legitimacy to and of donors result in forms of beneficiary exclusion and reduction. Strategies of impression management, namely self-promotion, ingratiation and exemplification, appear to shape these NGO representative logics.Originality/valueThe results of this study extend prior research into legitimacy, legitimation and impression management in and beyond the non-governmental sector by differentiating among categories of legitimacy and incorporating images as the object of analysis. In this capacity, they also support and augment the emerging literature on imagery use in NGO annual reports.
Dreams of Latin American integration are as old as decolonization itself, with Sim on Bolivar's vision of a league of American republics the first of myriad attempts at multilateral engagement. Indeed, the Americas region has challenged Europe at least nominally in its attempts at regionalism and integration. This article investigates the case of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the most recent and arguably ambitious attempt at Latin American cooperation. The article adopts a "two-step" approach to evaluate the extent to which CELAC is able to achieve its goals. Drawing first on neoliberal institutionalist research in global governance, it argues that CELAC's structural weaknesses and the conflicting interests of its core members raise doubts about its ability to accomplish its wide-ranging material ambitions, including economic integration and promotion of development. It then counters that to focus solely on CELAC's inabilities to facilitate material cooperation would be to overlook the other purposes and functions of the institution, which are continuing to construct, consolidate, and frame a regional identity. Following recent constructivist research, CELAC is framed as a vehicle for the articulation of a shared Latin American identity; it arises out of a continuing and mutually constituting process of region construction and recognition.Los sueños de integraci on latinoamericana han existido desde la descolonizaci on. En realidad, la visi on de las Rep ublicas Americanas de Sim on Bol ıvar fue el primero de una mir ıada de intentos de compromiso multilateral. Por lo menos nominalmente, las Am ericas han competido con Europa en sus intentos de regionalizaci on e integraci on. Este art ıculo investiga el caso de la Comunidad de los Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), el m as reciente y quiz as m as ambicioso intento de cooperaci on latinoamericana. Este art ıculo adopta una estrategia te orica compuesta de dos partes para evaluar la capacidad de CELAC de lograr sus metas. Empleando la literatura sobre institucionalismo neoliberal de gobernanza global, argumenta que las debilidades estructurales de CELAC y los intereses en conflicto de sus Estados miembros clave crean dudas sobre su capacidad de lograr sus ambiciones materiales de amplio espectro, como la integraci on econ omica y la promoci on del desarrollo. Sin embargo, fijarse s olo en estas incapacidades para facilitar la cooperaci on material significa omitir las otras funciones y objetivos de la instituci on: continuar la construcci on, consolidaci on, y formulaci on de una identidad regional. En l ınea con la literatura constructivista reciente, CELAC aparece como un veh ıculo para la articulaci on de una identidad compartida latinoamericana. Surge de un proceso actual y mutuamente constitutivo de construcci on y reconocimiento regional.
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