HI 295 History of Humanitarianism
'Saving Strangers': The History of Humanitarianism
International humanitarianism has come about to
assist the victims of man-made and natural
disasters, sometimes in the form of lobbying,
sometimes as direct aid, and sometimes as military
intervention. The current practice of
humanitarianism is of unprecedented size and
scale, but it is built on the foundations laid by
pioneers over a hundred years ago. Since the
beginning, it has been critiqued as naïve, open to
self-interest, colonial in its practices, and
sometimes doing more harm than good. Yet
international humanitarianism is also the mark of
humanity at its best: making sacrifices to assist
suffering strangers in faraway lands. We will
examine the motives, methods, and effectiveness of
humanitarian action by studying examples such as
Congo reform, Armenian relief, Oxfam, Biafra, and
LiveAid. At the same time, we will consider
critiques of relief efforts from different
perspectives in order to develop a better
understanding of the factors contributing to
success and failure.
Successful students will understand the types of
humanitarian action, will be able to think about
present practices in historical context, consider
how governments can promote or thwart humanitarian
impulses, and analyze the factors tending to make
a humanitarian action successful.
Offered
At the Discretion of the Dept