Aidnography

Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024.  This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 35 - Archives and historical perspectives in researching humanitarianism - contributed by Katarzyna Nowak. From the introduction  This chapter deals with sources and methodology of researching and writing history of humanitarianism. Historical perspectives, to repeat after Eleanor Davey and Kim Scriven (2015) , do not simply offer lessons from the past but pose challenges to habitual ways of thinking, contributing to the critical reflection on humanitarian action. The chapter begins with discussing the state of field and challenges around researching and writing history of human-itarianism and inequality. Focusing in particular on the issue of sources, it treats archives as spaces of power and asks how the process of generating records reflects the existing systems of power and inequ...

Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 34 - Humanitarian research ethics and the ethics of research in humanitarian settings - contributed by Shashika Bandara, Elyse Rafaela A. Conde, Abeer Dakik and Matthew Hunt. From the introduction  Research plays critical roles for better understanding and responding to humanitarian crises. It can yield knowledge about the nature and extent of the impact from disasters, armed conflict, and displacement, and the needs and experiences of the populations that are affected. Such knowledge can support efforts to improve the structures and processes of humanitarian aid provision. Yet, humanitarian research also presents practical and methodological challenges. Whether implemented with a focus on improving humanitarian operations or with broader goals for knowledge generation, designing and imple...

Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 33 - Varieties of European humanitarianism - contributed by Silke Roth and Tobias Denskus. From the introduction  European humanitarianism is inextricably intertwined with European colonialism and its legacies (see Chapter 2 by O’Leary McNeice on Humanitarianism and colonialism in this volume).  The violent eradication of Indigenous people and their environments, their knowledge and beliefs, is related to European humanitarianism (see Chapter 27 by Gurr on Humanitarianism and Native America and Chapter 28 by Sobocinska on Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Regions in this volume). Long after the end of slavery, colonial institutions regulating ethno-racial stratification have lasting consequences for humanitarian crises in contemporary neo-liberal societies (see Chapter 15 by Nar...

Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 32 - The Latin American experience: inequality’s role in shaping humanitarianism – contributed by Oscar A. Gómez, Simone Lucatello and Rodrigo Mena. From the introduction  This chapter explores the possible connection between two basic facts about inequality and humanitarianism in Latin America. The first, seemingly incontrovertible fact is how Latin America is one of the world’s most unequal regions. Inequality in the region has been repeatedly highlighted in the development studies literature concerning income and other human development dimensions – i.e., education and gender. Such inequality has been linked to colonial legacies in the distribution of political and economic power, as well as social structures (see Chapter 2 by O’Leary McNeice on Humanitarianism and colonialism in this ...

Welcome back to a new year! Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 31 - Africa’s long fight for humanitarian self-sufficiency - contributed by Oheneba A. Boateng. From the introduction  African civil society and governments have always organised to address their own humanitarian problems. Yet, before the localisation agenda emerged (see Chapter 6 by Youakim and Stephan on Localisation in this volume), even inclusive mainstream research like Barnett (2011) and Everill and Kaplan (2013) prioritised external actors and largely ignored homegrown African capacity, unwittingly implying that the continent does little to help itself. This trope persisted despite research on how homegrown African capacity had been eroded by international organisations ( Juma and Suhrke, 2002 ). This history, however, is essential for understanding th...

Welcome back to a new year! Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 30 - West Asia and North Africa - contributed by Josepha Wessels. From the introduction  West Asia tends to be called ‘Middle East’, a term embedded in Eurocentric geopolitics and colonialism, whereby the region is referred to in relationship to their proximity to Europe. The region has large quantities of the most vied natural resources on this planet: oil and gas. The role and power of energy supply systems cannot be ruled out in defining international diplomacy ( Jones, 2012 ; Mammadov, 2018 ). Countries and nation-states of Europe, the US, China, and Russia, have a vested strategic military and geopolitical interest in this region (Jones, 2012; Mammadov, 2018). Diplomatic ties with fossil fuel producing countries in the region, that are far from liberal demo...