ABSTRACT
In January 2014, Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson found herself embroiled in something of a public relations difficulty. With Oxfam, Johansson embarked on campaigns concerning topics such as the education of girls in Sri Lanka and India, in which she raised publicity by visiting schools whose reconstruction, following the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Oxfam had funded. The appearance of entertainment celebrities within activist campaigns is increasingly common. The political economy of celebrity influences the nature of celebrity involvement and the shape of the campaigns. The social prominence of celebrity is, in part, an outcome of its relations to some of the core tenets of contemporary Western societies, namely democracy and consumer capitalism. The celebrity activist becomes a key political voice, whose success is dependent on, among other things, their perceived authenticity upon their successful performance as an accurate embodiment of the political sentiments of their audience. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
