This volume, which grows out of a research project on women and philanthropy sponsored by the Center for the Study of Philanthropy at the City University of New York, expands our understanding of female beneficence in shaping diverse political and religious cultures. Each contributor examines the role of philanthropy—the giving of time, money, and/or valuables for public benefit—in shaping nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, and women’s political culture worldwide.
The essays in Women, Philanthropy, and Civil Society illustrate the extent to which government, the market, religion, colonialism, and feminism have shaped the role of female philanthropy and philanthropists in different national settings. By shifting the focus from organizations to donors and volunteers, the authors assess the relative importance of each of these factors in creating opportunities for citizen participation, as well as the role of female philanthropy in opening a space for women in the public sphere.