The Politics of Humanitarianism ─ Power, Ideology and Aid

Humanitarian intervention has increasingly become the prevalent means of providing protection and aid at a global level. Yet alongside its success concerns have been raised that humanitarianism has increasingly become an economic enterprise and a political tool for controlling territories and governing international relations. In The Politics of Humanitarianism authors from a variety of disciplines provide a comprehensive critique of the humanitarian enterprise. How are those on the end of humanitarian action influenced by different epistemologies and applications of international law? What is the complex relationship between values—what humanitarian action is intended to be—and practice—what happens on the ground? Combining international case studies with critical theoretical evaluations, and including chapters on international aid, refugees, childhood and women’s rights, The Politics of Humanitarianism offers a timely and critical analysis of the contemporary humanitarian system.

Antonio De Lauri is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Milan Bicocca. He has undertaken fieldwork in Afghanistan since 2005, with a focus on legal reconstruction, human rights, war and humanitarian intervention. He is currently part of an international research project on slavery and forms of extreme dependence.