Philanthropy, Remittances and Identity: The Case of London-based Sri Lankans

Abstract

Although expatriate remittances are a major topic of study in the world of development, relatively little research has taken place on the motives and meanings of international remittances. This article examines Sri Lankan expatriates in the United Kingdom. It focuses on charitable and philanthropic activities and argues that these can only be understood within the context of the personal histories of the donors.

The European philanthropy manifesto: ‘clearly needed and a very good thing'?

“…Alongside regional considerations, this offers a detailed country-based analysis and concludes that existing information on foundations 'is often anecdotal, incomplete and sometimes inconsistent' (Johnson 2018: 8). (Kabir and Stirrat 2018). Such issues collectively reiterate that the EPM's repeat reference to philanthropy's and foundations' unique contributions warrants further exploration, that the value of more inclusive perspectives on foundations' positions vis-à-vis broader civil society is indicated, and that civil societies' development in the variety of 'Europes' is the shared, collective responsibility of individuals, groups and communities, rather than resting predominantly on foundations, supported by supranational governmental regulation.…”

Charity, Philanthropy and Development in Colombo: An Overview of a Research Project

“…Two papers by Widger (2015; 2016) discuss philanthropy in the context of corporate social responsibility and the charitable activities of commercial companies. Two other papers (Osella 2017; Osella & Widger, 2018) examine the nature of Islamic charity in Colombo, whilst a final paper (Kabir & Stirrat, 2017) discusses the character of charitable activities amongst Sri Lankan expatriates in the UK. In addition, the project has produced a number of as yet unpublished papers covering, for instance Tudor's work amongst Buddhists in Colombo, Sarah's research into an old peoples' home, my own work on Catholics and Tom's investigations of body donations.…”