HI 295 History of Humanitarianism

Arts & Letters-History. '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.

Credits

3

Distribution

HIS

Offered

At the Discretion of the Dept