The Politics of Humanitarianism: Power, Ideology and Aid

Humanitarian intervention has increasingly become the accepted means of providing protection and aid at the global level and it is now common practice in post-war and post-disaster contexts for large numbers of professionals to be mobilized in the provision of expert knowledge and assistance to those in need. Yet alongside this successful diffusion of humanitarian action, concerns have arisen that humanitarianism has become an expression of economic and ideological dominance. In many contexts humanitarian agencies are seen as an extension of the military and political agendas of the donor countries. The Politics of Humanitarianism provides a comprehensive critique of the humanitarian realm. Contributors: Antonio De Lauri, Mariella Pandolfi, Phillip Rousseau, Laura Nader, Robin Savinar, Julie Billaud, Elisabetta Grande, Edoardo Quaretta, Alexandra Lewis, Sophia Hoffmann