Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality - Chapter 33 - Varieties of European humanitarianism

March 17, 2026

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 Narayanaswamy on Race, racialialisation, and coloniality in the humanitarian aid sector in this volume), for example resulting in the contemporary refugee crises and attitudes towards refugees, other migrants, and citizens who belong to ethnic minorities (Pallister-Wilkins, 2022). Indeed, the contemporary political category of ‘the refugee’ has, as Bhambra (2017) notes, ‘been historically produced out of the processes of decolonisation associated with earlier forms of European colonialism’ (p. 402).
The varieties and transformations of European humanitarianism reflect historical, military, and political developments including the two world wars, the Holocaust, the Cold War (see Chapter 3 by Tudor on Humanitarianism and the global Cold War in this volume) and its aftermath, the Global War on Terror (see Chapter 4 by Magcamit and Mahon on Humanitarianism, security, and securitisation in this volume), the Syrian War (see Chapter 30 by Wessels on West Asia and North Africa in this volume), and the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, as well as the ongoing crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories.
(…)
The chapter is structured as follows: We start with Switzerland given that the ‘Swiss Model’ of humanitarianism (Slim, 2022), which emphasises neutrality and impartiality, is often considered as synonymous with ‘classical’ humanitarianism (Hilhorst, 2018). Furthermore, paradigmatic European humanitarian organisations were founded and are still located in Geneva.
Subsequently, we turn to Western European countries, followed by Nordic countries, Southern European Countries, Central and Eastern Europe, Türkiye, and the EU. In each sub-section, we discuss selected historical developments, countries, and humanitarian organisations.
We also consider how European responses to various refugee crises reflect global and racial inequalities and note that right-wing political parties, movements, and governments seek to restrict migration and support for refugees across Europe. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that European refugees and other victims of crises and wars have received humanitarian assistance both from European and non-European humanitarian actors.

Note on contributors
Silke Roth is professor of sociology at the University of Southampton in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology.
She is working on the intersections of political sociology and the sociology of work. The red thread that runs through her work is the question how organisations overcome and perpetuate inequality through the in- and ex-clusion of different constituencies in membership and leadership, and through their goals and objectives. She studies various forms of engagement in historical and biographical perspectives. Her latest book co-authored with Clare Saunders is Organising for Change. Social Change Makers and Social Change Organisations (Bristol University Press, 2024).

Tobias Denskus is an associate professor in development studies at Malmö University in Sweden co-directing the blended learning online MA program in Communication for Development which was established in 2000.
He has an interdisciplinary profile in peace and conflict, development and media and communication studies. His research focuses on digital development and humanitarian communication topics, and he is also interested in aid worker (auto)biographies as an emerging literary genre.

Overviews are already available for the following chapters:

Introduction: humanitarianism and inequality – a re-orientation

Humanitarianism and colonialism

Humanitarianism and the global Cold War, 1945–1991

Humanitarianism and the new wars: humanitarianism, security, and securitisation

Humanitarianism, development and peace: a southern perspective

Localisation and the humanitarian sector

Human rights and humanitarianism

Humanitarian organisations: behemoths and butterflies

Faith actors in humanitarianism: dynamics and inequalities

Diaspora assistance

Political solidarity movements and humanitarianism: lessons from Catalonia, Spain (1975–2020)

Subversive humanitarianism

Citizen’s groups and grassroots humanitarianism

Humanitarianism and the military

Race, racialisation, and coloniality in the humanitarian aid sector

Humanitarian organisations as gendered organisations

Sexuality and humanitarianism: colonial ‘hauntings’

Class matters in humanitarianism

Humanitarianism and disability