Celebrity Activism and Philanthropy in Asia: Toward a Cosmopolitical Imaginary

By: Lau, Dorothy

Recent years have witnessed the increasing visibility of Asian celebrities in activism, advocacy, diplomacy, philanthropy, and ambassadorship but this phenomenon is under-explored. This volume provides a critical intervention in celebrity activism and philanthropy by examining the civic imaginaries and mobilisations of Asian celebrities-turned-activists or philanthropists, alongside an array of significations and tensions involved. The analysis anchors on a roster of high-profile Asian icons including Bollywood star Aamir Khan, K-pop sensation BTS, Cantopop singer Denise Ho, and Chinese live-streamer Weiya, who exhibit universal morals while underscoring local or regional affiliations as propelled by expansive media networks. Adopting cosmopolitics as the methodological frame, this volume suggests "muliversal consciousness," a staple to code the star-powered goodwill in times of disjuncture and rupture. To its critical ends, this book attempts to disrupt the Eurocentric tendency in the discursive construction of celebrity-cause dynamics, disentangling the complexities of Asian power, global citizenship, and techno-capitalist logics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1041176635
• ISBN13: 9781041176633
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"