Premium
On not receiving money from African dictators: A case study in moral politics (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate )
Author(s) -
Hart Keith
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
anthropology today
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 1467-8322
pISSN - 0268-540X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8322.2011.00804.x
Subject(s) - morality , dictator , politics , prestige , wife , sociology , media studies , law , political science , philosophy , linguistics
The resignation of the director of the London School of Economics as a result of links with Gaddafi recalls an episode when the author was Director of the Centre of African Studies at the University of Cambridge. The Nigerian dictator offered to fund a fellowship in the name of his wife, to general approval including that of Nigerian students. This story provokes some reflections on morality and politics featuring Shakespeare's profound insight into the tension between the collective interest and personal morality. Dirty money continues to flow into the coffers of prestigious institutions, but it remains the case that this prestige may be used for good or ill.