Travel, Humanitarianism, and Becoming American in Africa

Mathers, K.

Travel, Humanitarianism, and Becoming American in Africa uses observations of American travelers to southern Africa to ask: why is Africa so important to Americans? These travel stories show how encounters with Africans lead to a problematic desire to save Africa. Kathryn Mathers argues that this is then seen as a way to resolve the tensions between aspirations for a globally responsible America and the current reality of its geopolitical role. This book draws fascinating new conclusions about the connections and disconnections on which contemporary American identity is formed.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2011-01-19

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9780230108066

DOI: 10.1057/9780230115583

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 223