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Article
Personal connections, unexpected journeys: U2 and Angelina Jolie in Bosnia
Celebrity Studies (2015)
  • Asteris Huliaras, University of Peloponnese
  • Nikolaos Tzifakis, University of Peloponnese
Abstract
This article examines whether there is a steady pattern of celebrity engagement with humanitarian issues through a study of the involvement of U2 and Angelina Jolie in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The activism of these two celebrities was limited in both time and content and developed at different phases of the country’s recent history. The article notes that their involvement was idiosyncratic and was not developed at certain ‘turning points’ or ‘critical junctures’ of the conflict. It also argues that their activism was primarily motivated by personal networks: the decision of U2 and Jolie to get involved was prompted by their acquaintance with people who knew and cared about Bosnia. Therefore, the article highlights the role of intermediaries and underlines the need to study the personal networks that initiate and/or facilitate celebrity involvement in social causes.
Keywords
  • celebrity activism,
  • transnational politics,
  • Bosnia,
  • U2,
  • Angelina Jolie
Publication Date
Fall September 17, 2015
Citation Information
Asteris Huliaras and Nikolaos Tzifakis. "Personal connections, unexpected journeys: U2 and Angelina Jolie in Bosnia" Celebrity Studies Vol. 6 Iss. 4 (2015)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/tzifakis/28/