Geographies of super-philanthropy: Complex factions

In this paper, we revisit our conceptualization of the philanthropic complex via three avenues: first, the risk of foreclosing political possibilities in our analysis of the complex; second, the methodological possibilities of relational thinking; and third, the stakes of recuperating the progressive possibilities of philanthropy. We acknowledge and reiterate the evolving relationship between multiple, contradictory factions of philanthropy, capital, and policy agendas. While our original article emphasized the depoliticizing tendencies of the philanthropic complex in relation to neoliberalism, here we address the question of re-politicization. We also discuss the idea of decolonizing and de-centering narratives about the complex. At a time when the philanthropic complex might have reached a turning point, it is more necessary than ever to consider global viewpoints on philanthropy.