Aiding Ireland: The Great Famine and the Rise of Transnational Philanthropy

The book explores how different groups used Irish famine relief in the 1840s to advance their own political agendas, highlighting the complex and multifaceted nature of international philanthropy and aid.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2024
Publisher: New York University Press

The Irish Famine of the 1840s was a devastating period that brought ruin to the Irish countryside. In response, people from all over the world, from diverse social, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, became involved in Irish famine relief efforts. These individuals included enslaved Black people in Virginia, poor tenant farmers in rural New York, members of the Cherokee and Choctaw nations, plantation owners in the US South, abolitionists in Pennsylvania, and politicians in England and Ireland. While most of these people had no personal connection to Ireland, the famine was their first time participating in distant philanthropy.

Aiding Ireland: The Political Uses of Irish Famine Relief explores the Irish Famine as a pivotal moment in the normalization of international giving. Author Anelise Hanson Shrout argues that these diverse groups found famine relief to be politically useful. Shrout takes readers on a journey from Ireland to Britain, across the Atlantic to the United States, and across the Mississippi to Indian Territory, uncovering the benefits that each group gained by participating in global famine relief.

The book demonstrates that international philanthropy and aid are never simple and are always intertwined with politics both at home and abroad. It sheds light on the complex relationships and power dynamics that shaped the distribution of aid and the impact it had on the lives of those affected by the famine. By examining the ways in which disparate groups used Irish famine relief to advance their own political agendas, Aiding Ireland provides a valuable insight into the complex history of international aid and philanthropy.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 161 x 237 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479824595