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 19 - Humanitarianism and disability - contributed by Dale Buscher and Emma Pearce. From the introduction Humanitarian practice has been guided and shaped by the humanitarian imperative, as outlined in the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) movement ( ICRC, 1994 ), which is framed on the right to receive and provide humanitarian assistance. The Code of Conduct is founded on the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence – emphasising that assistance is based on need alone. Recent global humanitarian and development commitments all reference the importance of ‘leaving no one behind’, reaching the most vulnerable with assistance, including persons with disabilities who have historically been marginalised and excluded ( UN General Assemb...

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 18 - Class matters in humanitarianism - contributed by Patricia Ward and Junru Bian. From the introduction Our approach to class and class inequalities in the humanitarian aid sector reflects and relates to our own social positions as academics trained in North American and European institutions in the disciplines of International Relations (Bian) and Sociology (Ward). Our perspectives, and the literature we cite in this chapter, are largely informed by works that are written in (or have been translated into) and for English language readers. Like humanitarian aid, English as the dominant lingua franca has shaped not only the scope of our discussion on this topic, but also our ability and position of power to contribute to this important conversation ( Roth, 2019 ). We also write from particula...