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Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organisations working in more than 90 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world.^[1] In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives. Oxfam works directly with communities and seeks to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them. Each organization (Affiliate) works together internationally to achieve a greater impact through collective efforts.

Oxfam was originally founded in Oxford, UK, in 1942 as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief by a group of Quakers, social activists, and Oxford academics; this is now Oxfam Great Britain, still based in Oxford, UK. It was one of several local committees formed in support of the National Famine Relief Committee. Their mission was to persuade the British government to allow food relief through the Allied blockade for the starving citizens of Axis-occupied Greece. The first overseas Oxfam was founded in Canada in 1963. The organisation changed its name to its telegraph address, OXFAM, in 1965.

History and beginnings[link]

Plaque commemorating first meeting of Oxfam in the Old Library, the University Church, Oxford.

The original Oxford Committee for Famine Relief was a group of concerned citizens such as Canon Theodore Richard Milford (1896–1987), Professor Gilbert Murray and his wife Lady Mary, Cecil Jackson-Cole and Sir Alan Pim. The Committee met in the Old Library of University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, for the first time in 1942, and its aim was to relieve famine in Greece caused by Allied naval blockades. By 1960, it was a major international non-governmental aid organisation.

The name "Oxfam" comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in Britain in 1942 and registered in accordance with UK law in 1943. Oxfam International was formed in 1995 by a group of independent non-governmental organizations. Their aim was to work together for greater impact on the international stage to reduce poverty and injustice. Stichting Oxfam International registered as a not-for-profit foundation at the Hague, The Netherlands.

Oxfam's first paid employee was Joe Mitty, who began working at the Oxfam shop on Broad Street, Oxford on 9 November 1949. Engaged to manage the accounts and distribute donated clothing, he originated the policy of selling anything which people were willing to donate, and developed the shop into a national chain.^[2][3]

Oxfam Affiliates[link]

Countries with Oxfam members in green and countries with Oxfam observer members in purple.

Oxfam GB (Great Britain)[link]

Oxfam GB had 5,955 employees worldwide in 2008,^[4] and a total income of £299.7 million. Oxfam GB's head office is located in Cowley, Oxford and has offices and programmes in over 70 countries in 8 regions.^[4]

From 2007 to 2009, Oxfam GB was recognised as one of Britain's Top Employers^[5] by CRF.^[6]

Oxfam Ireland[link]

Oxfam Ireland works with local partner organisations in developing countries to develop effective solutions to poverty and injustice. It is a registered charity in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with headquarters in Dublin and Belfast.

Funds Funds are raised via three different sources:

• Shops: there are 48 shops throughout Ireland selling goods donated by the public as well as four shops selling Fair Trade crafts and food products.
• Government: the Irish Government allocated over €3.7m to Oxfam work in 2008-2009.
• Private donors, Corporate and Institutional funding: supporters who donate regularly via direct debit or to special appeals.

Structure Oxfam Ireland is the public title of the two, separate, legal bodies registered in the respective jurisdictions as Oxfam Northern Ireland and Oxfam Republic of Ireland. Oxfam Ireland operates coherently on an all-island basis by means of a single management structure and shared membership of associations and councils.

Oxfam Canada[link]

Oxfam Canada traces its history to 1963, when the British-based Oxford Committee for Famine Relief sought to establish a Canadian branch. Oxfam Canada was independently incorporated in 1966; the first Board of Directors included 21 distinguished Canadians. In 1967, Oxfam Canada became a key organiser of the successful Miles for Millions fundraising walks across the country. In that year, Lester Pearson (then Canadian Prime Minister) led Oxfam's first Miles for Millions March. With its revenues, Oxfam began to provide educational materials to schools and undertake advocacy work in public policy development.

The early 1970s was a critical period of growth as Oxfam began its own programming overseas in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and established a network of staff and volunteers across Canada to support its work.The original idea was born with Oxfam shops, Luk Moltten Professor at the University of Oxford,. During this same period, Oxfam Canada began to analyse its role in the development process, moving from a traditional model of charity (one-time grants) towards long-term development programming (working with communities to effect lasting positive change.) Deeply involved in the international movement against apartheid in South Africa and Central American solidarity through the 1970s and '80s, Oxfam Canada sought to address the fundamental, underlying causes of poverty. This in turn led to Oxfam's role as a major advocacy organisation in the 1990s, to mobilise public support for changing the policies that perpetuate poverty.

Oxfam Canada is a founding member of Oxfam, the federation of Oxfams worldwide. Today, Oxfam Canada works with over 100 partner organisations in developing countries, tackling the root causes of poverty and inequity and helping people to create self-reliant and sustainable communities. In Canada, Oxfam is active in education, policy advocacy and building a constituency of support for its work.^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam America[link]

In 1970, Oxfam America became an independent non-profit organisation and an Oxfam affiliate in response to the humanitarian crisis created by the fight for independence in Bangladesh. Oxfam America's headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts with a policy & campaigns office in Washington, D.C. and seven regional offices around the world. A registered 501(c)3 organisation, Oxfam America campaigns for climate change adaptation, food security, aid reform, access to medicines, and fair trade.

Oxfam-Québec[link]

In 1973, Oxfam-Québec became an independent member of the international Oxfam movement. Carried by the popularity of Yvon Deschamps, Oxfam-Québec has become a cherished organisation among the Québécois. Its mission is to get the francophone population involved in the situation of developing countries.

Oxfam Australia[link]

Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organisation, and an affiliate of Oxfam International. Oxfam Australia's work includes long-term development projects, responding to emergencies and campaigning to improve the lives of disadvantaged people around the world. They aim to give disadvantaged people improved access to social services, an effective voice in decisions, equal rights and status, and safety from conflict and disaster.

Oxfam Australia's activities are mainly funded by community donation. Oxfam’s development and advocacy programs use 73% of donated funds, 16% is used for fundraising and promotion, and the remaining 11% for administration.[1] In the case of emergency appeals, 85% of funds are used directly for emergency response purposes.[2][3]

In 2009, Oxfam Australia's work reached 4.64 million people in 28 countries. This was made possible by the support of more than 310,000 donors and campaigners.^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam Novib (Netherlands)[link]

Oxfam Novib is the Dutch affiliate of the international Oxfam organization. The organization is based in The Hague.

Oxfam Novib was founded under the name Novib in 1956. Novib is an abbreviation that stands for "Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Internationale Bijstand" (Dutch organization for international aid) which was later changed to "Nederlandse Organisatie voor Internationale Ontwikkelingssamenwerking" (Dutch organization for international development cooperation) due to a change in approach of development work.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, then called, Novib became an affiliate of Oxfam and for this reason the organization changed its name as of 18 March 2006 to Oxfam Novib.

Mid 2008 the organisation changed its voluntary policy towards a network based approach. They set up a so called participation network or tribe named Doeners.net. Aim was to create a campaigning movement for a just world without poverty.

Oxfam Novib's current National Director is Farah Karimi.^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam-in-Belgium[link]

Oxfam in Belgium is a co-ordinating body of the Belgian components of the Oxfam movement, namely, Oxfam Solidarity, Magasins du Monde Oxfam and Oxfam Wereldwinkels.

Oxfam Solidarity incorporates the activities of Oxfam Belgium (founded in 1964) and those of Oxfam Projects (created in 1976).

Oxfam Solidarity supports approximately 200 projects and programmes in the South totalling around 10 million Euro, thanks to co-financing by the Belgian government and the European Union. The income of the organisation comes from recycling activities, from the support of donors and as a result of campaigns.

Oxfam Wereldwinkels (founded in 1971) and Magasins du Monde-Oxfam (founded in 1975) remain autonomous organisations, focusing on fair trade. With more than 220 outlets, as many groups and 7000 volunteers, they form a movement which, guided by the principles of fair trade, pursues objectives similar to those of Oxfam Solidarity.

Oxfam France[link]

Oxfam Germany[link]

Oxfam Hong Kong[link]

Oxfam Hong Kong began in 1976, when volunteers came together, opened a second-hand shop, and raised funds for anti-poverty projects around the world. Some of the first actions in the 1970s and 80s were to advocate for justice in the Vietnamese Boat People/Refugee crisis in Hong Kong, and to help save lives in Ethiopia during the 1984 famine. To date, Oxfam Hong Kong has assisted poor people in more than 70 countries/states around the world.

Oxfam Hong Kong is an independent international development and humanitarian organisation working against poverty and related injustice.^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam India[link]

Oxfam's involvement in India began when money was granted in 1951 to fight famine in Bihar. Bihar at the time was one of the poorest and most populated states in India. Bihar and famine would bring Oxfam back to India in 1965 to address drought due to bad monsoons. Bihar held a population of 53 million, of which 40 million relied on subsistence farming to live.^[7] This would compound for India in the future; production of food had not been parallel to its exploding population. It is estimated that, over the course of the droughts and famines, 2,400 tons of milk was bought by Oxfam and at the height of this was feeding over 400,000 starving children and mothers.^[8]

In 1968 Oxfam's first Field Director in India, Jim Howard, created the Oxfam Gramdan Action Programme, or OGAP.^[8] This would be the first joint rural development program in Oxfam history and the first step to a new 'operational' Oxfam.

Oxfam India was established on 1 September 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 2005 as a non profitable organisation with its head office in Delhi and is now a member of Oxfam International Confederation. This was marked by Oxfam's 60th year in India.^[9]

Oxfam Observer Members[link]

Oxfam Japan[link]

Oxfam Japan started activities in December 2003.

Oxfam Italy[link]

Oxfam Italy, which became part of Oxfam confederation as observer member in 2010, builds upon its previous work as Ucodep, an Italian non-governmental organization with more than thirty years of experience fighting poverty and injustice.

Oxfam International[link]

The Oxfam International Secretariat (OIS) leads, facilitates, and supports collaboration between the Oxfam affiliates to increase Oxfam's impact on poverty and injustice through advocacy campaigns, development programmes and emergency response.

The OIS Board comprises the Executive Director, Chair of each Affiliate, and the OI Chair. The Affiliates’ Chairs are voting members and are non-remunerated. The Executive Directors and the OI Chair are all non voting-members. The Board also elects the Deputy Chair and Treasurer from among its voting members.

The Board is responsible for ensuring that Oxfam International is accountable, transparent, and fit for purpose. The constitution and Strategic Plan are also approved at Board level. The Board takes recommendations from Executive Directors and ensures that the Confederation is working to its agreed aims. The Board also agrees membership of the Confederation, selects the Honorary President, the Honorary Advisor, the Board Officers and the OI Executive Director. A number of subcommittees with expert members are also mandated by the Board to assist with specific issues.

Languages: Official: English; working: English, French and Spanish. Staff: approx. 77 in 2009-2010 (including secondment placements and temporary staff e.g. for maternity cover) Finance: Contributions from affiliate organizations. Operating budget: US$8.7m

Oxfam's mission and values[link]

Mission: Oxfam’s programs address the structural causes of poverty and related injustice and work primarily through local accountable organizations, seeking to enhance their effectiveness. We aim to help people directly where local capacity is insufficient or inappropriate for Oxfam’s purposes, and to assist in the development of structures which directly benefit people facing the realities of poverty and injustice.^{[citation needed]}

Values: In November 2000, Oxfam adopted the rights-based approach as the framework for all the work of the Confederation and its partners. Oxfam recognizes the universality and indivisibility of human rights and has adopted these overarching aims to express these rights in practical terms:

• the right to a sustainable livelihood
• the right to basic social services
• the right to life and security
• the right to be heard
• the right to an identity^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam believes that poverty and powerlessness are avoidable and can be eliminated by human action and political will. The right to a sustainable livelihood, and the right and capacity to participate in societies and make positive changes to people's lives are basic human needs and rights which can be met. Oxfam believes that peace and substantial arms reduction are essential conditions for development and that inequalities can be significantly reduced both between rich and poor nations and within nations.^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam's work[link]

Oxfam clothing and shoe bank

Though Oxfam's initial concern was the provision of food to relieve famine, over the years the organisation has developed strategies to combat the causes of famine. In addition to food and medicine, Oxfam also provides tools to enable people to become self-supporting and opens markets of international trade where crafts and produce from poorer regions of the world can be sold at a fair price to benefit the producer.

Oxfam's programme has three main points of focus: development work, which tries to lift communities out of poverty with long-term, sustainable solutions based on their needs; humanitarian work, assisting those immediately affected by conflict and natural disasters (which often leads in to longer-term development work), especially in the field of water and sanitation; and lobbyist, advocacy and popular campaigning, trying to affect policy decisions on the causes of conflict at local, national, and international levels.

Oxfam works on trade justice, fair trade, education, debt and aid, livelihoods, health, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, conflict (campaigning for an international arms trade treaty) and natural disasters, democracy and human rights, and climate change.

Through programs like "Saving for Change," Oxfam is working to help communities become more self-sufficient financially. The Saving for Change initiative is a program whereby communities are taught how to form collective, informal credit groups. Through these mutually beneficial groups, members who tend to be mostly women, pool their savings into a fund which is used to give loans for activities such as paying for medical care and paying school fees, in addition to using the loans to fund small-scale business ventures. Ultimately, the goal of the program is to leave the community with a self-sustaining organization where people who otherwise would do not qualify for formal bank loans can go for financial assistance. In doing so, borrowers can start businesses which benefit not only themselves but also their communities.^[10]

Oxfam is also providing humanitarian aid to those affected by the 2011 Horn of Africa famine, in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Oxfam's activities[link]

During 2007–2012 Oxfam shall focus its resources on four Change Goals:

1. Economic Justice

• Make agriculture work for farmers and agricultural labourers living in poverty and vulnerable circumstances. Reaching the majority of people living in poverty will mean transforming agriculture so that they get a decent reward for their labour

• Achieve fairer trade rules for poor countries. People living in poverty must get a fair share of the wealth and opportunities generated by world trade

• Reduce the impact of climate change and energy shocks by supporting vulnerable people and communities, particularly in agriculture, to adapt to climate change. We will tackle the injustice of climate change by promoting energy equity for developing countries

2. Essential Services

• Demand that national governments fulfil their responsibilities for equitable delivery of good quality health, education, water and sanitation, especially for women and excluded groups

• Support civil society organizations and alliances to hold governments accountable for the delivery of these services

• Ensure better policies and more funding from rich countries and international institutions, as well as make sure they honour already existing commitments on aid and debt reduction

3. Rights in Crisis

• Improve our ability to deliver better protection and greater assistance, through improving our competencies and capacities, and becoming more accountable to the people we are assisting

• We will also increase work with and through local organizations, and particularly strengthen the role of women

• Change policies and practices of the international humanitarian system to deliver better protection and greater assistance. This will mean lifting the standards of disaster response by international agencies, implementing commitments by governments on the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and pursuing an Arms Trade Treaty.

• Work within the framework of human security, with a greater focus on preventing conflict, peace-building, reconciliation and longer-term development

4. Gender Justice

• Support women’s leadership at all levels to achieve greater power in decision-making and greater control over their lives

• Increase the number of women receiving an education (two-thirds of all children denied school are girls), to acquire functional literacy skills so they can work. ^[11]

• Work to end gender-based violence by changing ideas, attitudes and beliefs of men and women that permit violence against women.

• Strengthen Oxfam’s own learning and capacities on gender to ensure that gender justice is achieved in all our work.^{[citation needed]}

Oxfam's shops[link]

Plaque attached to the original Oxfam shop at 17 Broad Street, Oxford

Oxfam shop in Cirencester, England

Oxfam has numerous shops all over the world, which sell many fair-trade and donated items. They opened their first charity shop in 1948,^[12] although two plaques attached to the shop both give the year as 1947. The proceeds from these usually get paid to different charities or are used to further Oxfam's relief efforts around the globe.

Much of their stock still comes from public donations but they currently also sell fair trade products from developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America, including handcrafts, books, music CDs and instruments, clothing, toys, food and ethnic creations. These objects are brought to the public through fair trade to help boost the quality of life of their producers and surrounding communities.^[13]

Oxfam has near to 15,000 shops worldwide.^{[citation needed]}. Some of them are in the UK with around 750 Oxfam GB shops including specialist shops such as books, music, furniture and bridal wear. Oxfam Germany has 34 shops including specialist book shops; Oxfam France shops sell books and fair trade products and Oxfam Hong Kong has 2 shops selling donated goods and fair trade products. Oxfam Novib, Oxfam Australia (with over 20 fair trade shops), Oxfam Ireland and Oxfam in Belgium also raise funds from shops.

Of the 750 Oxfam charity shops around the UK, around 100 are specialist bookshops or book and music shops. Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe, selling around 12 million per year.

In 2008, Oxfam GB worked with over 20,000 volunteers in shops across the UK, raising £17.1 million for Oxfam's programme work.^[4]

Fundraising[link]

Oxfam has a number of successful fundraising channels in addition to its shops. Over half a million people in the UK make a regular financial contribution towards its work, and vital funds are received from gifts left to the organisation in people's wills. Many London Marathon^[14] competitors run to raise money for Oxfam, and Oxfam also receives funds in return for providing and organising volunteer stewards at festivals such as Glastonbury. In conjunction with the Gurkha Welfare Trust, Oxfam also runs several Trailwalker events in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan. Oxfam GB asks people to 'Get Together'^[15] and fundraise by hosting events with friends and colleagues on International Women's Day, 8 March.

Christopher McCandless, the subject of the book and film Into the Wild, donated his life savings to Oxfam before leaving society for the Alaskan wilderness.

In August 2009, it was announced that Arctic Monkeys would release a 7-inch vinyl version of their new single "Crying Lightning" exclusively through Oxfam shops, with proceeds going to the charity. Recently Oxfam India is emerging as a successful fundraising unit, it is mainly with the help of always motivated team and the Resource Mobilization Heads.

Publications[link]

Annual Report; Strategic Plan; Research and Policy papers http://www.oxfam.org/en/about/annual-reports

Policy & Research page with all Oxfam publications (research reports, policy papers), that can be filtered by subject and/or by date https://www.oxfam.org/en/policy

Criticism[link]

Conflict with Starbucks on Ethiopian coffee[link]

On 26 October 2006, Oxfam accused Starbucks of asking the National Coffee Association (NCA) to block a U.S. trademark application from Ethiopia for three of the country's coffee beans, Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe.^[16] They claimed this could result in denying Ethiopian coffee farmers potential annual earnings of up to £47m.

Robert Nelson, the head of the NCA, added that his organisation initiated the opposition for economic reasons, "For the U.S. industry to exist, we must have an economically stable coffee industry in the producing world... This particular scheme is going to hurt the Ethiopian coffee farmers economically". The NCA claims the Ethiopian government was being badly advised and this move could price them out of the market.^[16]

Facing more than 90,000 letters of concern, Starbucks placed pamphlets in its stores accusing Oxfam of "misleading behavior" and insisting that its "campaign need[s] to stop". On 7 November, The Economist derided Oxfam's "simplistic" stance and Ethiopia's "economically illiterate" government, arguing that Starbucks' (and Illy's) standards-based approach would ultimately benefit farmers more.^[17]

Nonetheless, on 20 June 2007, representatives of the Government of Ethiopia and senior leaders from Starbucks Coffee Company announced that they had concluded an agreement regarding distribution, marketing and licensing that recognises the importance and integrity of Ethiopia's speciality coffee designations.^[18]

Political neutrality[link]

Oxfam Great Britain was strongly criticised by other NGOs for becoming too close to Tony Blair's New Labour government in the UK.^[19]

In October, 2011, Oxfam's campaign for a financial transaction tax resulted in it seeking court action to ban a pensioner, Barry Nowlan, from one of its shops, asking him to pay a £10,000 legal bill after he complained about a poster which highlighted Oxfam’s call for a 'Robin Hood' tax of banks and financial institutions.^[20]

On 25 October 2011, the dispute was settled amicably in Taunton County Court.^[21] Afterwards Mr Nowlan said: "The matter has been settled between Oxfam and myself on a mutually satisfactory basis." Oxfam declined to comment on the court case, saying simply: "It is a private matter."

Internal structures and political role[link]

Omaar and de Waal in Food and Power in Sudan^[22] comment that "the 1990s have seen growing pressure for humanitarian institutions to become more accountable. There has been a succession of reviews of major operations, growing in independence and criticism." They quote an OECD report, The Joint Evaluation of Emergency Operations in Rwanda, which stated that its team "came across examples of Agencies telling, if not falsehoods, then certainly half-truths" and noted "a remarkable lack of attempts by agencies to seek the views of beneficiaries on the assistance being provided".^[23] In this climate, Oxfam has faced a number of criticisms, some specific to the organisation itself, others relating to problems said to be endemic to NGO aid agencies.

In 2005, the magazine New Internationalist described Oxfam as a "Big International Non-Government Organisation (BINGO)", having a corporate-style, undemocratic internal structure, and addressing the symptoms rather than the causes of international poverty – especially by acquiescing to neoliberal economics and even taking over roles conventionally filled by national governments.^[24]

Similar criticisms have been voiced by Red Pepper magazine^[25] and Katherine Quarmby in the New Statesman.^[26]

Bookshops[link]

Oxfam has been criticized^[27][28] for aggressively expanding its specialist bookshops, using tactics more often associated with multi-national corporations. The charity has been criticized as some claim this expansion has come at the expense of independent secondhand book sellers and other charity shops in many areas of the UK.

Fair trade coffee[link]

On 28 April 2007, two academics in Melbourne, Australia, representing a think tank lodged a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission accusing Oxfam of misleading or deceptive conduct under the Trade Practices Act in its promotion of Fairtrade coffee.^[29] The academics claimed that high certification costs and low wages for workers undermine claims that Fairtrade helps to lift producers out of poverty. The complaint was subsequently dismissed by the Commission.^[30]

Israeli–Palestinian conflict[link]

In 2003, Oxfam Belgium produced a poster with a picture of an orange drenched in blood. The poster read, "Israel's fruits have a bitter taste...reject the occupation of Palestine, don't buy Israeli fruits and vegetables".^[31] Oxfam was widely criticised because of the poster's allegedly anti-Israel political message. Following publicity and pressure from the pro-Israel organisation NGO Monitor, Oxfam removed the poster from their web site and Ian Anderson, the chairman of Oxfam International, issued a letter of apology; however, Oxfam has maintained its support of a boycott of Israeli settlement products.^[32] Oxfam was criticised for its policy of what has been termed "selective morality" by NGO Monitor.

In October 2009, Oxfam was accused by Israeli NGO Regavim of aiding Palestinians in illegal activities in Kiryat Arba, including water theft. Oxfam has denied its participation.^[33]

Confrontation with the Population Matters[link]

In December 2009 Duncan Green, head of research at Oxfam, attempted to discredit the PopOffsets initiative of Population Matters, (formerly known as the Optimum Population Trust), under which individuals can offset their carbon emissions by funding family planning services in the developing world. Green wrote in an op-ed in the New Statesman that assumptions such as those in the OPT report equating population growth and environmental degradation are a "gross oversimplification".^[34]

In response, OPT described the response of parts of the development lobby to the initiative as "frankly disgraceful", adding: "The world badly needs a grown-up, rational discussion of the population issue…without blame, abuse and hysteria."^[35]

See also[link]

• Disasters Emergency Committee
• Make Trade Fair
• Oxfam International Youth Partnership
• Oxfam Australia
• Oxfam-in-Belgium (French)
• Oxfam France (French)
• Oxfam Hong Kong
• Oxfam Italia (Italian)
• Oxfam Novib
• Seoul Peace Prize
• Ox-Tales

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Maggie Black, A Cause for Our Times: Oxfam the First 50 Years (Oxford: Oxfam, 1992). ISBN 0-85598-173-3
• Susan Blackburn, Practical Visionaries: A Study of Community Aid Abroad (Melbourne University Press, 1993). ISBN 0-522-84562-2

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oxfam

• Oxfam International

Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson in January 2008
Born	(1984-11-22) November 22, 1984 (age 27) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, model
Years active	1994–present
Spouse	Ryan Reynolds (m. 2008–2011) «start: (2008)–end+1: (2012)»"Marriage: Ryan Reynolds to Scarlett Johansson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Scarlett_Johansson)
Relatives	Vanessa Johansson (sister)
Website
Facebook

Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress, model and singer.

Johansson made her film debut in North (1994) and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo (1996). She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Ghost World (2001). She shifted to adult roles with her performances in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003), for which she won a BAFTA award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Both films earned her Golden Globe Award nominations.

A role in A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) earned Johansson a third Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination. Johansson garnered another Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress with her role in Woody Allen's Match Point (2005). She went on to star in two further Allen movies: Scoop (2006) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). Johansson has appeared in other successful films, such as Christopher Nolan's The Prestige (2006). Johansson played popular Marvel comic book character Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in the films Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Avengers (2012).

The 2010 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge gave Johansson some of her best reviews for her acting, and she received a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. On May 20, 2008, Johansson debuted as a vocalist on her first album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, which comprises mostly cover versions of Tom Waits songs. Her second album, Break Up, with Pete Yorn, was released in September 2009.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Scarlett Johansson with the 2,470th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 2, 2012 in front of Madame Tussauds in Hollywood.

Early life[link]

Johansson was born in New York City on November 22, 1984.^[1] Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish-born architect originally from Copenhagen,^[2] and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family from the Bronx.^[3][4][5] Johansson's mother's ancestors immigrated to the U.S. from Minsk, Belarus.^[6] She has an older sister, Vanessa, who is an actress; an older brother, Adrian; a twin brother, Hunter (who appeared with her in the film Manny & Lo);^[7] and an older half-brother, Christian, from her father's first marriage.^[8]

Johansson grew up in a household with "little money",^[9] and with a mother who was a "film buff".^[10] She and her brother, Hunter, attended P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village in elementary school.^[11] Johansson began her theatrical training by attending and graduating from Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2002.^[12]

Acting career[link]

Early roles[link]

Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother started taking her to auditions.^[9] She made her film debut at nine years old, as John Ritter's daughter in the 1994 fantasy comedy North.^[1] Following minor roles in the 1995 film Just Cause, as the daughter of Sean Connery and Kate Capshaw, and If Lucy Fell in 1996, she played the role of Amanda in Manny & Lo (1996). Her performance in Manny & Lo garnered a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female,^[1] and positive reviews, one noting, "[the film] grows on you, largely because of the charm of ... Scarlett Johansson",^[13] while San Francisco Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle commentated on her "peaceful aura", and wrote, "If she can get through puberty with that aura undisturbed, she could become an important actress."^[14]

After appearing in minor roles in Fall and Home Alone 3 in 1997, Johansson garnered widely spread attention for her performance in the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer, directed by Robert Redford.^[1] She received a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress for the film.^[15][16] In 1999, she appeared in My Brother the Pig and in 2001 in the neo-noir Coen brothers film The Man Who Wasn't There. Also in 1999, she appeared in the music video for Mandy Moore's single, "Candy".^[17] Although the film was not a box office success,^[18] she received praise for her break-out role^[19] in the 2001 film, Ghost World.^[20][21] Credited with "sensitivity and talent [that] belie her age",^[22] Johansson went on to win the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards for Best Supporting Actress^[23] and was nominated for the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[24] In 2002, Johansson appeared in the comedy-horror thriller Eight Legged Freaks, starring David Arquette.

Transition to adult roles[link]

Johansson at the premiere of a Girl with a Pearl Earring at Toronto International Film Festival in 2003

Johansson made the transition from teen roles to adult roles, with two such roles in 2003.^[25] In the Sofia Coppola film Lost in Translation, she played Charlotte, an abandoned young wife, opposite Bill Murray.^[26][27] Roger Ebert wrote that he loved the film and described the performances of Johansson and Murray as "wonderful."^[28] Entertainment Weekly wrote of Johansson's "embracing, restful serenity,"^[29] and the New York Times said, "At 18, the actress gets away with playing a 25-year-old woman by using her husky voice to test the level of acidity in the air ... Ms. Johansson is not nearly as accomplished a performer as Mr. Murray, but Ms. Coppola gets around this by using Charlotte's simplicity and curiosity as keys to her character."^[30] Johansson won the BAFTA Award^[31] and the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress^[32] and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.^[33] She received nominations from a number of film critic organizations, including the Broadcast Film Critics Association,^[34] and the Chicago Film Critics Association,^[35]

Johansson played Griet in Peter Webber's Girl with a Pearl Earring. While noting, "Audiences feel as if they are spying on a moment of artistic inspiration when painter Vermeer creates the title work", USA Today praised her, suggesting, "[She] is having a banner year that Oscar voters should recognize."^[36] In his review for the New Yorker, Anthony Lane said, "What keeps Webber's movie alive is the tenseness of the setup ... and, above all, the presence of Johansson. She is often wordless and close to plain onscreen, but wait for the ardor with which she can summon a closeup and bloom under its gaze; this is her film, not Vermeer's, all the way."^[37] Owen Gleiberman, for Entertainment Weekly, wrote of her "nearly silent performance", observing, "The interplay on her face of fear, ignorance, curiosity, and sex is intensely dramatic."^[38] She was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama^[33] and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.^[31] She was also nominated by the London Film Critics' Circle,^[39] the Phoenix Film Critics Society^[40] and the British Independent Film Awards.^[41]

Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in June 2004.^[42] In the same year, she voiced a role in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and appeared in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan entitled A Good Woman, opposite Helen Hunt and Tom Wilkinson. It received a limited U.S. release, and was both a box office^[43] and critical^[44] failure. It was described by the New York Times as a "misbegotten Hollywood-minded screen adaptation" with "an excruciating divide between the film's British actors (led by Tom Wilkinson and Stephen Campbell Moore), who are comfortable delivering Wilde's aphorisms ... and its American marquee names, Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson, [who have] little connection to the English language as spoken in the high Wildean style."^[45] She also appeared in the critically panned,^[46] teen, heist film The Perfect Score and in In Good Company, in a supporting role opposite Topher Grace and Dennis Quaid.^[47] Her performance in the dark, Southern drama, A Love Song for Bobby Long, earned her a third Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination.^[33] Johansson was involved for a short time with the film Mission: Impossible III, but was not officially cast because of scheduling conflicts, although a falling out with the film's star, Tom Cruise, was reported.^[48]

2005–07[link]

Johansson on the set of The Nanny Diaries

In July 2005, Johansson starred, with Ewan McGregor, in Michael Bay's science fiction film, The Island, in dual roles as Sarah Jordan and her clone, Jordan Two Delta. The film was a commercial failure^[49][50] and received mixed critical reviews.^[51][52] In contrast, her role as Nola, the American actress with whom Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is obsessed, in the Woody Allen-directed drama Match Point, was well-received. The New York Times said, "Ms. Johansson and Mr. Rhys-Meyers manage some of the best acting seen in a Woody Allen movie in a long time, escaping the archness and emotional disconnection that his writing often imposes."^[53] Mick LaSalle, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, said, "[Johansson] is a powerhouse from the word go", and, "[Her performance] borders on astonishing."^[54] Johansson received her fourth Golden Globe nomination,^[33] and one from the Chicago Film Critics Association, for Best Supporting Actress.^[35]

Johansson at the film set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2007

In another collaboration with Allen, Johansson was cast opposite Hugh Jackman and Allen in the 2006 feature, Scoop. While the film enjoyed a modest worldwide box office success,^[55] it received mixed reviews by critics.^[56][57] The New York Times called the film "not especially funny yet oddly appealing" and cited parallels to The Thin Man, saying, "[while] Johansson is certainly no Myrna Loy, [her] performance is all over the place ... but finally works for a film that is itself all over the place. Mr. Allen seems happy to just watch her strut her stuff, and after a while so are we."^[58] New York magazine said, "Johansson doesn’t have the natural buoyancy to play a screwball Nancy Drew, [but] she’s smart enough to know what’s needed (a young Diane Keaton), and manages to rouse herself",^[59] while USA Today criticized "her delivery of Allenesque one-liners" as "clunky", and "sometimes, she seems in over her head playing opposite Allen."^[60] The same year, she appeared in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia, a film noir shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson later said she was a De Palma fan and had wanted to work with him on the film, even though she thought that she was "physically wrong" for the part.^[61] Her reviews were mixed. CNN.com noted, "[Johansson] takes to the pulpy period atmosphere as if it were oxygen,"^[62] whereas the Kalamazoo Gazette referred to Johansson as "miscast".^[63]

Johansson next had a supporting role in the Christopher Nolan thriller The Prestige (2006), again opposite Hugh Jackman, as well as Christian Bale. Nolan, who described Johansson as possessing an "ambiguity... a shielded quality",^[64] said he was "very keen" for her to play the role.^[65] Johansson said, "[she] loved working with [Nolan]", and he was "incredibly focused and driven and involved, and really involved in the performance in every aspect."^[66] The film was both a critical^[67] and a worldwide box office^[68] success, recommended by the Los Angeles Times as "an adult, provocative piece of work."^[69] Also in 2006, Johansson starred in a short film directed by Bennett Miller and set to Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down...", released to promote Dylan's album, Modern Times.^[70]

Johansson starred in 2007's The Nanny Diaries, alongside Laura Linney. The film performed only marginally well at the box office,^[71] and was critically panned.^[72] Johansson's reviews were mixed, with Variety saying, "[She] essays an engaging heroine",^[73] while The New Yorker criticized her for looking "merely confused" while "trying to give the material a plausible emotional center".^[74] In his review for the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle said, "There's something painful about watching Scarlett Johansson, who looks as if she never had an indecisive moment in her life, struggle to seem ineffectual."^[75]

2008–present[link]

In 2008, she starred in The Other Boleyn Girl, opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana,^[76] a film which garnered mixed reviews.^[77][78] Writing for Rolling Stone, Pete Travers criticized the film for "[moving] in frustrating herks and jerks", but was more positive in his assessment of Johansson and Portman, and wrote, "What works is the combustible teaming of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, who give the Boleyn hotties a tough core of intelligence and wit, swinging the film's sixteenth-century protofeminist issues handily into this one."^[79] Variety credited the cast as "almost flawless ... at the top of its game", citing "Johansson’s quieter Mary ... as the pic’s emotional center, her tender love story with the conflicted monarch evoking the only genuine feelings on display."^[80]

Johansson with Marines on January 20, 2008, during her five-day USO tour to the Gulf region.

She filmed her third Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, in Spain,^[81] appearing opposite Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The film was one of Allen's most profitable^[82] and appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008.^[83] Overall, the film received generally favorable reviews^[84][85] and brought co-star Cruz numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[86] Johansson was described as being "open and malleable" and "serves as a nice contrast to the [other actors]".^[87] Johansson played Silken Floss, a femme fatale and ally of Samuel L. Jackson's villain The Octopus, in Frank Miller's film noir, comedy adaptation of The Spirit. The film, described as "a great-looking movie with an awkward balance of pulp noir and campy self-awareness"^[88] and "style without substance, style whirling in a senseless void",^[89] received mostly poor reviews.^[90]

Johansson at the premiere of He's Just Not That into You in February 2009

Johansson appeared in the role of Anna, a yoga instructor, in the 2009 ensemble cast of He's Just Not That Into You, with Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore and Kevin Connolly. The film was a box office success^[91] but only gained average critical reception.^[92][93] The San Francisco Chronicle review notes, "[The film] never soars, but it never flags" yet lauds Johansson, saying, "She has become a deft comic actress."^[94] The Los Angeles Times calls the film an "anti-romantic romantic comedy" and cites the scenario in which Johansson appears with Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper as having "more meat than others", making it "one of the best."^[95] The Baltimore Sun criticized the film, saying, "[It] stumbles somewhat when it tries to get serious", but praised Johansson for "proving she doesn't need Woody Allen to be funny."^[96]

In March 2009, Johansson signed on to play Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2^[97] after a scheduling conflict forced Emily Blunt to drop out of the part.^[98] The film, released in May 2010, was directed by Jon Favreau and also starred Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Rockwell.^[99] Appearing at San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2009, Johansson joked about her audition for the film, saying it consisted of "a couple of deep knee bends and lunges", but Favreau credited her with performing her own stunts: "All the fighting and wire work is her own. She worked really hard and it shows on the screen."^[99] Johansson has signed on to play the lead role in the Judd Apatow-produced film Can a Song Save Your Life?. It will be directed by Irish director John Carney.^[100] In November 2011, it was reported she plans to make her directional debut by adapting Truman Capote's novel, Summer Crossing whose screenplay will be written by playwright Tristine Skyler.^[101] In early March 2012, it was announced that Johansson had been cast as Janet Leigh in the upcoming Sacha Gervasi-directed film Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, a behind-the-scenes drama about the making of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho.^[102][103]

Johansson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 2, 2012 located at 6931 Hollywood Blvd., in front of Madame Tussauds Hollywood wax museum.^[104]

Johansson revealing her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012

Johansson played the role of Natasha Romanoff in Marvel's The Avengers in 2012.

THEATRE[link]

Johansson made her first stage appearance in the Off Broadway play Sophistry.^[105] In 2009, Johansson made her debut on Broadway, as Catherine Carbone in the drama A View from the Bridge, written by Arthur Miller and directed by Gregory Mosher. Liev Schreiber played opposite her.^[106] Johansson was nominated for and won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her role in the play.^[107]

Endorsements[link]

Johansson has appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, L'Oréal, Louis Vuitton^[108] and has been the face of Spanish brand Mango since 2009.^[109] After appearing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Johansson was announced as the face of the new Dolce & Gabbana make-up collection in early 2009.^[108] She made a personal appearance at the London store, Selfridges, on July 31, 2009, to help launch and promote the line.^[110]

Music career[link]

In 2005, Johansson was considered for the role of Maria^[111] in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End revival of The Sound of Music, though the role ultimately went to newcomer Connie Fisher after she won BBC's talent show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?^[112] Released on May 8, 2006, Johansson sang the track "Summertime" for Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars, a non-profit collection of songs recorded by Hollywood actors. She performed with The Jesus and Mary Chain for a special Coachella Reunion Show in Indio, California in April 2007.^[113]

Johansson at the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Parade in Cambridge, MA in February 2007

In 2007, she appeared as the leading lady in Justin Timberlake's music video, for "What Goes Around... Comes Around", which was nominated in August 2007 for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.^[114]

In mid-2007, Johansson spent about a month in Maurice, Louisiana recording an album at Dockside Studio, a rural 12-acre (49,000 m²) complex.^[115] The album, consisting of one original song and ten cover versions of Tom Waits songs,^[10][116] was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and features David Bowie,^[117] members from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs^[118] and Celebration.^[119][120] Released on May 20, 2008, it was entitled Anywhere I Lay My Head.^[121][122] Reviews of the album were mixed, or average.^[123] Spin commented, "There's nothing particularly compelling about Scarlett Johansson's singing."^[124] Conversely, some critics found it to be "surprisingly alluring",^[125] "a bravely eccentric selection",^[117] and "a brilliant album" with "ghostly magic".^[126] The album was named the "23rd best album of 2008" by NME^[127] and peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and No.126 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[128] Of her album, Johansson said, "I had this golden opportunity to record and thought I would do maybe an album of standards, because I’m not a songwriter. I’m a vocalist."^[129] Johansson said for her recording she "wanted to have space and [she] wanted to be in a remote place where all of us could just be ourselves and not worry about anyone trying to listen in or get in on that."^[130] Johansson said in an interview that she started listening to Tom Waits when she was 11 or 12.^[131] Of Tom Waits, Johansson said in an interview, "His melodies are so beautiful, his voice is so distinct and I had my own way of doing Tom Waits songs."^[132] In December 2008, MTV reported Johansson planned to follow-up Anywhere I Lay My Head with an album of all original music, saying, “I don’t think I’d do covers, so it’d be a project that I have to dedicate myself to. I feel like that’s something for the future.”^[133]

In 2009, Johansson covered Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye" for the soundtrack of He's Just Not That Into You.^[134] Released on September 8, 2009, she and singer/songwriter Pete Yorn recorded a collaborative album, Break Up, inspired by Serge Gainsbourg's duets with Brigitte Bardot.^[135]

In 2010, Steel Train released Terrible Thrills Vol. 1, which includes their favourite female artists singing songs from their self-titled album. Johansson is the first artist on the album, singing "Bullet".^[136]

In 2011, Johansson sang "One Whole Hour" for the soundtrack of the documentary film Wretches & Jabberers.^[137][138]

Status as sex symbol[link]

Johansson has frequently appeared in published lists of the sexiest women in the world. She has been described as a "peerless sex symbol" by Channel 4,^[139] Johansson appeared on the cover of the March 2006 issue of Vanity Fair in the nude alongside actress Keira Knightley and fashion designer Tom Ford.^[140] Maxim named Johansson No. 6 in their Hot 100 Issue in 2006,^[141] No. 3 in 2007,^[142] No. 2 in 2008,^[143] No. 34 in 2009, ^[144] No. 14 in 2010, ^[145] and No. 14 in 2011. ^[146] In November 2006, Johansson was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire.^[147] In February 2007, she was named the "Sexiest Celebrity" of the year by Playboy.^[148] FHM has regularly ranked her as one of their 100 sexiest famous women since 2005, and she has also appeared on Askmen lists for the 99 'most desirable' celebrity women, based on looks and success. ^[149] During the filming of Match Point, director Woody Allen described Johansson as "sexually overwhelming", saying that he found it "very hard to be extra witty around a sexually overwhelming, beautiful young woman who is wittier than you are."^[150] In 2010, GQ named Johansson its Babe of the Year.^[151] In 2011, Men's Health named her one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time", ranking her at No. 12.^[152]

Personal life[link]

Johansson rarely discusses her personal life with the press, saying, "It's nice to have everybody not know your business."^[153]

Scarlett Johansson with Michael Caine at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2008

She started dating Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in 2007,^[154] and on May 5, 2008, it was reported that the two were engaged.^[155] On September 27, 2008, Johansson and Reynolds were married at a quiet ceremony near Tofino, British Columbia.^[156] They purchased a $2.8 million home together near Los Angeles, California.^[157] On December 14, 2010, Reynolds and Johansson announced that they had separated.^[158] Reynolds filed for divorce on December 23, 2010 in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences. Johansson filed her divorce response simultaneously.^[159] The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011. ^[160]

She celebrates a "little of both" Christmas and Hanukkah,^[161][162] and has described herself as Jewish.^{[163][164][2]}

On September 14, 2011, the FBI announced it was investigating the alleged hacking of Johansson's cell phone and the dissemination of nude photographs.^{[165][166][167]} In the December 2011 issue of Vanity Fair, Johansson stated that the photos were sent to her then-husband Ryan Reynolds three years prior to the incident,^[168] adding: "There's nothing wrong with that. It's not like I was shooting a porno [...] Although there's nothing wrong with that either."^[169] She later also expressed that the photo leak "was really terrible; I felt absolutely violated. I wasn't really aware of how vulnerable all of us are, but I think everybody is just discovering that now..."^[170]

Johansson rejects the "ScarJo" nickname some have used in reference to her, calling it "awful".^[171]

Activism[link]

Charity work[link]

Johansson is a Global Ambassador for the aid and development agency, Oxfam.^[172] In March 2008, a UK-based bidder paid £20,000 on an eBay auction to benefit Oxfam, winning a hair and makeup treatment, a pair of tickets and a chauffered trip to accompany Johansson on a 20-minute date to the world premiere of He's Just Not That Into You.^[173]

Political advocacy[link]

Johansson is registered as an independent^[174] and campaigned for Democratic candidate John Kerry in the 2004 United States presidential election.^[10] About George W. Bush's reelection, she said, "[I am] disappointed. I think it was a disappointment for a large percentage of the population."^[175] Johansson also campaigned for Democratic candidate Barack Obama:^[176] Her efforts included appearances in Iowa during January 2008, where her efforts were targeted at younger voters;^[177] an appearance at Cornell College;^[178] and a speaking engagement at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota on Super Tuesday, 2008.^[179] Johansson appeared in the 2008 music video for The Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am's song, "Yes We Can", directed by Jesse Dylan, a song inspired by Obama's speech following the 2008 New Hampshire primary.^[180] On February 7, 2012, Johansson and Anna Wintour hosted a fashion launch of pro-Obama clothing, bags and accessories, with proceeds going to the President's re-election campaign.^[181] Johansson is publicly endorsing and supporting Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's 2013 run for New York City mayor by hosting a series of fundraisers.^[182]