Plenary Session: The Promises and Perils of Philanthropy in a Polarized World

Session Submission Type: Colloquium

Abstract

The opening plenary to the 2019 ARNOVA conference answers the conference call to grapple with the role of our sector as it relates to dichotomies and dualisms. Specifically, the plenary focuses on the dichotomies and dualisms in nonprofit, philanthropy, and voluntary action (including civil society) that lead to loss of civil discourse, challenges to democratic norms and practices, and violent acts against the “other.” A panel of leading scholars and practitioners will critically assess how contemporary acts of “big money” philanthropy have led to (or not) the promotion of democratic values. Following this critical examination, the panel will share their views on the changing roles and responsibilities of philanthropy (and philanthropists) in democratic societies.

Track

• The Conference Track: Nonprofits and Philanthropy in a Polarized World: Speaking Truth to Power and Using Power to Speak Truth

Discussant

• Rene Bekkers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Presenters

• Rob Reich, Stanford University

• Kristin Goss, Duke University

• Erica Kohl-Arenas, Imagining America / UC Davis