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.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgement
- Introduction
- An Uncharted Terrain: Asian Celebrities’ Engagement in Activism and Philanthropy
- Global Narratives of Activism and Philanthropy
- Discourses of Celebrity-Led Causes: An Asian Turn
- Cultural Politics of Celebritised Intervention of Humanitarianism: The Self-Other and North-South Divides
- Toward a Cosmopolitical Approach
- Organisation of the Book
- 1. Bollywood Stardom and Advocacy: Aamir Khan’s Crossover Persona and the Imagined Sino-Indian Relations
- Introduction
- Bollywood Stars and Goodwill Mobilisations
- Satyamev Jayate: Between Universal Morals and Geopolitical Ethos
- Institutionalising Cosmopolitan Ideals: The Panni Foundation and Khan’s Elitist Advocacy in Grassroots-Based Media Networks
- The Bollywood “Male God’s” Star Currency and Fandom in China
- Conclusion
- References
- 2. Beyond the K-pop Spectacle: BTS’ “Love Myself” Campaign, Celebrity Diplomacy, and Fan Activism
- A K-pop Sensation that Traverses Fame and Public Diplomacy
- Normative Claims of Celebrity Diplomacy
- #BTSLoveMyself and the Trope of Self-love
- ARMY: An Epitome of Digital Fan Activism
- BTS’ Adaptive Diplomatic Appeal
- Conclusion
- 3. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Eco-Activist Persona
- Introduction
- The Musician’s Eco-Friendly Appeal
- Japan’s 2011 Triple Disasters and Sakamoto’s Radical Embodiment
- Present-ness and the Mundane: Everyday Risk and Sakamoto’s Reflection
- Beyond the Virus Discourse: Philosophising Objects, Sound, and Nature
- Conclusion
- 4. Denise Ho’s Celebrity Activism in Contemporary Hong Kong
- Performance as Frame: Denise Ho as an Emergent Heroine
- A Brief Sketch of the Intersection of Celebrity and Politics in the Post-Handover Hong Kong
- “Coming Out”: The Formation of an Independent and Civic Persona
- Arrest on the Occupy Site
- Non-Corporatised Concerts and the Live Spectacle
- Articulating for a Human Rights Cause
- Conclusion
- 5. The “Sales Queen” Doing Good: Weiya and the Wanghong Philanthropy in China’s Live-Streaming Landscape
- Introduction: A Mix of Profit and Cause in the Microcelebrity Image
- Wanghong: A New Breed of Influencers
- The Rise of Weiya as a New Social Elite
- Selling for Good Causes?: Weiya’s Controversial Initiatives
- The Do-gooder’s “Wrongdoing”: Weiya’s Tax Evasion Scandal
- Conclusion
- 6. Global Pandemic and the Inter-Asian Discourse of Celebrity: The Rise of a New Form of Solidarity
- COVID-19 and the Benevolent/Social Justice Causes
- Solidarity in the Inter-Asia Nexus
- #Ouridentity: Virtual Concert as a New Spectacle-Fundraiser
- #WashTheHate: The Hand-Washing Ritual and the Revelation of Personal Stories
- #TakeOutHate: The Campaign Video and its Meokbang-Style Recoding of Advocacy
- The Star Personae: New or Enhanced?
- Conclusion: Virtual Alliance Among Asian Celebrities
- Conclusion
- Toward an Imaginary of Cosmopolitical Asia
- Index
- List of Illustrations
- Figure 1.1: Aamir Khan talking about his TV show, Satyamev Jayate.
- Figure 1.2: Aamir Khan travelled across villages in Maharashtra, interacting with participants of the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup
- Figure 2.1: UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore stands with UNICEF supporters BTS in advance of the launch of Generation Unlimited at Youth 2030 at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.
- Figure 3.1: Ryuichi Sakamoto playing the piano
- Figure 4.1: Denise Ho’s substitute concert held on June 19, 2016 at Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan District of Hong Kong after Lancôme withdrew its sponsorship.
- Figure 4.2: Denise Ho speaking at Oslo Freedom Forum in October 2019
- Figure 6.1: A rally themed on anti-Asian racism in Washington D.C.’s Chinatown in March 2021
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