ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the debate within the academy has facilitated a greater understanding of the relationship between celebrity, human rights and democratic behaviour. It outlines the factors which have defined the principles of celebrity engagement and human rights. The chapter discusses how celebrity humanitarians have used their fame to draw media attention to international causes. It shows how there has been a popular debate about the worth of such engagement. The chapter also discusses the competing intellectual claims which have been made in relation to celebrity humanitarianism. It also considers how the interventions demonstrate that a range of ideological values and disciplinary perspectives have been directed at celebrity activism. The chapter suggests that for a proper analysis of celebrity humanitarianism to be operationalised that there should be a consideration of the structural conditions and personal forms of agency which shape such activism.
