| The gift of disaster: the commodification of good intentions in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19486354 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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This paper analyses the commodification of post-tsunami aid in Sri Lanka, a process that 'contaminated' the 'purity' of good intentions with the politics of patronage and international aid. It argues that gifts are not just material transfers of 'aid', but also embodiments of cultural symbolism, social power, and political affiliations. The tsunami gift re-enforced and reconfigured exchange relationships among different patrons and clients in Sri Lankan communities, perpetuating the political economy that has driven social conflict and discontent in the post-independence years. Beyond dominant rationales of ethnic or political party patronage, the paper finds that gifts by disingenuous patrons not only became patrimonial, but that the patrimonial rationale emerged as much from above as from below--a dynamic that became nearly inescapable and self-reinforcing. Through three case studies, we explore the intricate chain of relations, obligations, and expectations pertinent in the co-evolving, but often contradictory, gift rationales that permeate the practices, performances, and discourses of tsunami aid. |
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Authors:
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Benedikt Korf; Shahul Habullah; Pia Hollenbach; Bart Klem |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Disasters Volume: 34 Suppl 1 ISSN: 1467-7717 ISO Abbreviation: Disasters Publication Date: 2010 Jan |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-03-20 Completed Date: 2010-03-30 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7702072 Medline TA: Disasters Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: S60-77 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z?rich, Switzerland. Benedikt.korf@geo.uzh.ch |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Altruism* Commodification* Disasters* International Cooperation* Politics Relief Work Religion Sri Lanka Tsunamis* |
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