“Complex Humanitarian Emergencies” – MA option taught at the University of Sussex
This course looks at the emergence and development of the phenomena known as “complex humanitarian emergencies” and their role in North-South relations. While this is a contemporary term, the course looks at it in historical perspective. Using two in-depth case studies and small group exercises, it critically examines the following themes: the origins, evolution, and foundational principles of humanitarianism; distinctions between key concepts (catastrophe; natural vs. manmade disaster) key actors (governments, the UN, NGOs, private sector, military); key historical events; technologies of response (camps, food-drops); the role of the media; cultures of aid.
It incorporates the following themes and approaches:
- Challenging established frames of references and concepts (what is a CHE? Is it a North/South phenomena?)
- Providing both a strong empirical focus through case studies, and up to date policy approaches with critical theoretical approaches.
- Focus on the lived and embodied experience of complex emergencies: how camps experienced by the beneficiary? What is it like to ride in a white Landrover? And how have these experiences shaped the way in which big ideas such as humanitarianism have been shaped, understood and transmitted.
- Uses a wide range of source material: from aid worker biographies and blogs, to novels such as David Eggers’ Zeitoun to maps and objects both in terms of what they represent and how they are used.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course a successful student should be able to:
Describe, understand and evaluate the concept of complex humanitarian emergencies both in contemporary terms and in historical perspective
Have a knowledge of the actors, institutions, legal frameworks, funding mechanisms and procedures relating to a complex humanitarian response
Understand and evaluate the competing theoretical claims and perspectives relating to complex humanitarian emergencies
Advance academically formulated ideas about the utility of the concept and the process as a mode of international political interaction.
Be able to conceptualise the idea of CHE beyond conventional North-South frameworks and to problematise its continued use within international humanitarian discourse.
COURSE OVERVIEW
SECTION ONE – FOUNDATIONS
Week 1 – Background Reading
Week 2 – The origins and evolution of humanitarianism
Week 3 – Principles, Professionalization and Organization
Week 4 – Humanitarian Space, Securitization, Remote Management, Logistics
SECTION TWO – CASE STUDY 1 – HAITI & CHEs
Week 5 – Haiti as complex humanitarian emergency
Week 6 – Haiti before and after
Week 7 – Essay Preparation Week
SECTION THREE – CASE STUDY 2 – DISASTERS & NEW ORLEANS
Week 8 – New Orleans as state of exception
Week 9 – The picturesque and the disaster imaginary – Rebuilding New Orleans
Week 10 – Cultures of Aid – Codes of Conduct
COURSE CONTENT
Week One – Background Reading (no class)
Try to read one of these prior to starting the course.
Keen, D. (2008). Complex emergencies. Cambridge, Polity.
Higate, P. and M. Henry (2009). Insecure spaces : peacekeeping, power and performance in Haiti, Kosovo and Liberia. London, Zed.
Samantha Power (2008). Chasing the Flame New York, Penguin.
Week Two: The origins and evolution of humanitarianism
This week looks at the emergence of a humanitarian ethic from Henri Dunant‟s revelation on the battle field at Solferino through to the creation and use of legal instruments.
Guiding Questions:
What are the philosophical and guiding principles and ethics that underpin humanitarianism? How have they evolved?
What are the key moments, documents and decisions?
Weiss, T. G. and C. Collins (2000). Chapters 1 Main Actors, Humanitarian challenges and intervention. Boulder, Colo.; Oxford, Westview Press.
Calhoun – The idea of emergency (2010) in Fassin and Pandolfi (eds) Contemporary States of Emergency (New York: Zone)
Rieff, David “The Hazards of Charity” in (2002) A Bed for the Night New York: Simon & Schuster.
Ranciere, Jacques (2004) “Who is the subject of the rights of Man?” South Atlantic Quarterly 103(2/3):297-310.
Slim, Hugo “Not Philanthropy But Rights” – on rights based humanitarianism http://www.odi.org.uk/events/2001/02/01/2103-rights-based-humanitarianism-proper-politicisation-humanitarian-philosophy-hugo-slim-revised-may-2001.pdf
Please have a look at online
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter http://www.un.org
2. Geneva Conventions http://www.icrc.org
3. Refugee Convention http://www.unhcr.ch
Additional sources
Curti, M. (1957). “The History of American Philanthropy as a Field of Research.” The American Historical Review 62(2): 352-363.
Bass, G. J. (2008). Freedom‟s battle : the origins of humanitarian intervention. New York, Alfred A. Knopf.
Crossland, James (2010) “Expansion, Suspicion and the Development of the ICRC: 1939-45” Australian Journal of Politics and History 56(3): 381-392.
Cowan, J. K. (2007). “The Supervised State “ Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power 14(5): 545 – 578.
Edkins, J. (2003). “Humanitarianism, humanity, human.” Journal of Human Rights 2(2): 253-258.
Weiss, S. S., Hans-Joachim, and van Meurs, Wim, Ed. (2009). Diplomacy, Development and Defense: A Paradigm for Coherence, Bertelsmann Stiftung. (not yet available, awaiting delivery)
Rozario, K. (2003). “”Delicious horrors”: Mass culture, the red cross, and the appeal of modern American humanitarianism.” American Quarterly 55(3): 417-455.
Davis, M. (2000). Late Victorian Holocausts : El Nino famines and the making of the Third World, Verso.
Hutchinson, J. F. (1996). Chapters 1 Champions of charity: war and the rise of the Red Cross. Oxford, Westview.
Lester, A. (2002). “Obtaining the „due observance of justice‟: the geographies of colonial humanitarianism.” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 20: 277-293.
Skran, C. M. (1995). Chapter 3 in Refugees in inter-war Europe : the emergence of a regime. Oxford, Clarendon Press.
Week Three: Principles, Pragmatism and Organization
This week looks at the development of pragmatic humanitarianism in response to the Goma crisis. It examine the various systems of coordination, accountability and resources mobilization that have been developed.
Guiding Questions:
Who are the main actors? What are the conflicts between them? How do they coordinate?
How is funding obtained?
Has development become a profession; has it become more principled?
How does a pragmatic approach compare to last week‟s approaches?
Linda Polman – Chapter 1 in (2010) The Crisis Caravan. New York: Metropolitan
The Humanitarian Charter: http://www.sphereproject.org/content/view/24/84/lang,english/
and The Sphere handbook: http://www.sphereproject.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=84
Darcy, James (2004) “Locating Responsibility: The Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Rationale” Disasters 28(2): 112-123 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0361-3666.2004.00247.x/pdf
Collins and Weiss – Chapter 2
Barnett – Humanitarianism Transformed
UN General Assembly Resolution on the creation of UN OCHA http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/46/a46r182.htm
IASC standing committee on Clusters
http://reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/EVOD-76JH4V/$file/Full_Report.pdf?openelement
On Funding: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900SID/AMMF-75MGSC/$FILE/Tufts-July2007.pdf
Codes of Conduct
IFRC code of conduct: http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/conduct/code.asp
The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership http://www.hapinternational.org/
An example of a CAP/Cluster approach in action (not in pack)
Additional Reading:
Brauman, Rony (2004) “From Philanthropy to Humanitarianism: Remarks and an Interview” The South Atlantic Quarterly 102(2/3): 397-417.
Brauman, Rony (2006) “Global Media and the Myths of Humanitarian Relief The case of the 2004 Tsunami” CRASH Papers
Clements, Ashley and Edwina Thompson (2009) “Making Tough Calls: decision making in complex humanitarian environments” Humanitarian Exchange Magazine Issue 44 http://www.odihpn.org/report.asp?id=3025
ODI working paper on complexity http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/583.pdf 10
HPG Principles in Practice http://www.odi.org.uk/work/projects/details.asp?id=1206&title=humanitarian-principles-practice
Kent, R. C. (1987). Anatomy of disaster relief: the international network in action. London, Pinter.
MSF grey archive on Rwanda Refugee Camps in Zaire (available in Global Resource Centre)
Failure of Humanitarian Action in Rwanda Panorama http://www.spokenword.ac.uk/record_view.php?pbd=gcu-a0a7e0-a
Week 4: Humanitarian Space, Securitization, Remote Management, Logistics
The week examines the emerging concept of „humanitarian space‟. What it means, how it‟s been constructed – legally, figuratively and materially.
Guiding Questions:
What is humanitarian space?
Who is it for?
How is it constructed?
What are the implications for humanitarianism?
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2008). Background Document: Preserving Humanitarian Space, Protection and Security. New York, UNICEF. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/48da506c2.html
Abild, E. (2009). Creating Humanitarian Space: A case Study of Somalia. New Issues in Refugee Research. Oxford, UNHCR.
Fast, Larissa – “Mind the Gap” (2010) in EJIR
Van Wassenhove, LN (2006) “Humanitarian Aid Logistics: Supply Chain Management in High Gear” The Journal of Operational Research Society 57(5):475-489.
Agier, Michel (2008) Chapter 3 in On the Margins of the World Cambridge: Polity.
Additional sources
Hyndman, Jennifer.
Garro, H. (2008). Does humanitarian space exist in Chad? Humanitarian Exchange Magazine. London, ODI. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-7NPSWS/$file/odi_dec2008.pdf?openelement (pp. 39-41)
Wagner, J. G. (2005). An IHL/ICRC perspective on „humanitarian space‟. Humanitarian Exchange Magazine. London, ODI. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/AMMF-6RLDKP/$file/odihpn-gen-dec05.pdf?openelement (pp. 24-26
Lischer, S. K. (2005). Dangerous sanctuaries : refugee camps, civil war, and the dilemmas of humanitarian aid. Ithaca, N.Y. ; London, Cornell University Press.
Debrix, François. (1998) “Deterritorialised Territories, Borderless Borders: The New Geography of International Medical Assistance” Third World Quarterly, 19(5):827-846
Principles pragmatism: NGO engagement with armed actors http://www.worldvision.org.uk/upload/pdf/Principled_pragmatism.pdf
Gibson, T. (2006). “New Orleans and the Wisdom of Lived Space.” Space and Culture 9(1): 45-47.
Burkle, F. (2009). “Sovereignty, Endurance, and the Elusive Search for Humanitarian Space in North Korea ” Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 24(3): 161-165.
Yamashita, H. (2004). Humanitarian space and international politics: the creation of safe areas. Burlington, VT, Ashgate.
Tomaszewski, B and L Czárán, Geographically Visualizing Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) Information
Click to access 152_Geographically%20Visualizing%20Consolidated%20Appeal_Tomaszewski2009.pdf
Thurer, D. (2007). “Dunant’s Pyramid: thoughts on the “humanitarian space”.” International Review of the Red Cross 89: 47-61.
Week 5 – Haiti as complex humanitarian emergency: What happened up to 30 days after the event. This week is devoted to understanding what happened when the quake hit. Who did what, what was the sequencing? We will work together as a class to develop an up-to-date bibliography and a timeline of events.
MSF archive http://www.dwb.org/news/allcontent.cfm?id=208
See http://www.noula.ht/ for events (in French!)
Week 6 – Haiti 2 – Before and After
This week continues the case study looking at the context of Haiti that informs current and continuing events. It will be used to pick out key humanitarian themes such as clusters, logistics, responsibility, camps, media to coordinate, distribution, infrastructure. We will continue developing the case study.
Muggah, Robert (2010) “The effects of stabilisation on humanitarian action in Hait” Disasters 34(S3):S444-S463
Zanotti, Laura (2010) Cacophonies of Aid
Additional Resources
Lucchi, Elena (2010) “Between war and peace: humanitarian assistance in violent urban settings” in Disasters 34(4): 973-995
Week 7 – Essay Week
This week should be used for you to pick the object that you want to investigate for your final essay, identify primary material, decide upon a theoretical framework, and establish an initial bibliography and outline. You are encouraged to come to my office hours to discuss your proposed outline.
Week 8 – New Orleans as state of exception
This week looks at the concept of ”natural disasters” as distinct from CHEs and ask whether the distinction holds. It will look at how one of the highest profile disasters unfolded and how its exceptional nature translated into the way in which it was managed. Through this, the symbolic, metaphoric and actually existing space of the “camp” will be examined. Again, as a class will exploring time line of events, and the response.
Eggers, David – Zeitoun
Hayley – on Camps
Klein, Naomi – Chapter from the Shock Doctrine
Possible Presentations: – timeline of response (who did what, when)
– What is a “disaster”? – legal definitions.
Additional
Brinkley, Douglas The Great Deluge
Dyson, Michael Eric (2006) Come Hell or High Water . New York: Basic Civitas
Piazza, Tom City of Refuge ( a novel)
Williams, Stewart (2008) “Rethinking the Nature of Disaster: From Failed Instruments of Learning to a post-Social Understanding” Social Forces 87(2):1115-1139.
Oliver-Smith, A. (1996). “Anthropological research on hazards and disasters.” Annual Review of Anthropology 25(1): 303-328.
Harada, T. (2000). “Space, materials, and the “social”: in the aftermath of a disaster.” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 18(2): 205-212. 13
Smith, N. (2006). “There’s No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster.” From
http://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org/Smith/.
Spike Lee’s documentaries: When the Levees Broke and If God is willing and the Creek don’t rise
Trouble the Water (another documentary)
Week 9 – The picturesque and the disaster imaginary – Rebuilding New Orleans
This week looks at the way that disaster (and CHEs) are imagined and how this influences the response. It will continue with our case study of New Orleans to examine the ways in which “outsiders” contributed to the rebuilding of the city, and the resulting implications. Through this we will access the wider discussion of the place and role of „disaster‟ in society at large.
Ophir, Adi “The Politics of Catastrophization: Emergency and Exception” in Fassin and Pandolfi (2010) Contemporary States of Emergency (New York: Zone)
Solnit chapter (to be distributed)
Kingsley, Karen “Rebuilding New Orleans” http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jah/94.3/kingsley.html
Presentation – “Representing Katrina”.
Additional Reading
Lots of articles by Demond Shondell Miller
A special issue of Space and Culture here: http://www.spaceandculture.org/2005/12/30/disastrous-social-theory-lessons-from-new-orleans/
Bianchini, Stefano et al. (2005) Partitions: Reshaping Hearts and Minds London: Routledge.
Brusma (2007) Katrina: The sociology of disaster
Rozario, K. (2007). Introduction in The culture of calamity : disaster and the making of modern America. Chicago ; London, University of Chicago Press.
Campbell, D. (2007). “Geopolitics and visuality: Sighting the Darfur conflict “ Political Geography 26: 357-382.
Simpson, Edward (2005) “The Gujurat Earthquake and the political economy of nostalgia” Contributions to Indian Sociology 39(2):219-249.
Week 10 – Cultures of Aid – Codes of Conduct
This week will look at the cultures that spring up around aid workers and how they represent and understand themselves. It will look at the idea of the “memoire” (bringing us back to week 1 and H. Dunant’s memoire) and how this has been instrumental in self understandings of humanitarianism. How does the memoire in question square with the standards and principles examined in previous weeks? Whither local populations?
Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures
Dawes, James (2007) chapter on “Storytelling” in That the World May Know (Cambridge: HUP)
Presentation: The role of Aid Blogs in contemporary aid work
Additional Readings:
Huggan, Graham (2009) Extreme Pursuits: Travel Writing in an Age of Globalization Ann Arbor: U of Mich Press.
Lewis, et al. “The Fiction of Development” (2008) Journal of Development Studies 44(2):198-216.
Gigliotti, Simone (2007) “Genocide yet again” Australian Journal of Politics and History 53(1):84-95.
Kay Schaffer & Sidonie Smith (2004) “Conjunctions: Life Narratives in the Field of Human Rights” Biography Vol. 27
Pandolfi, M. (2003). “Contract of Mutual (In)Difference: Governance and the Humanitarian Apparatus in Contemporary Albania and Kosovo.” Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 10: 369-382.
Pouligny, B. (2006). Peace operations seen from below: UN missions and local people. London, Hurst & Co.
Edkins, J. (2000). Whose hunger?: concepts of famine, practices of aid. London, University of Minnesota Press.
Debrix, F. and C. Weber (2003). Rituals of mediation : international politics and social meaning. Minneapolis ; London, University of Minnesota Press. (See chapters by Campbell, Dillon and Weber).
Richmond, O. P. (2009). “Becoming Liberal, Unbecoming Liberalism: Liberal-Local Hybridity via the Everyday as a Response to the Paradoxes of Liberal Peacebuilding.” Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding 3(3): 324 – 344. 15
Rajaram, P. K. and C. Grundy-Warr (2007). Borderscapes : hidden geographies and politics at territory’s edge. Minneapolis, Minn., University of Minnesota Press ; [Bristol : University Presses Marketing, distributor].
Heathershaw, J. (2007). “Peacebuilding as Practice: Discourses from Post-conflict Tajikistan.” International Peacekeeping 14(2): 219-236.
Special issue on spaces of post-conflict state-building in the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2(3) 2008
Eggers, D. (2008). What is the what : the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng : a novel. London, Penguin.
Malkki, L. H. (1995). Purity and exile : violence, memory, and national cosmology among Hutu refugees in Tanzania. Chicago ; London, University of Chicago Press.
Malkki, L. H. (1996). “Speechless Emissaries: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and Dehistoricization.” Cultural Anthropology 11(3): 377-404.
Ek, R. (2006). “Giogio Agamben and the spatialities of the camp: an introduction.” Geografiska Annaler, Series B 88(4): 363-386.
Salter, M. B. (2003). Rights of passage : the passport in international relations. Boulder, Colo; London, Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 22(1) 2004 is a special issue on complexity and networks.
Coward, M. (2006). “Against anthropocentrism: the destruction of the built environment as a distinct form of political violence” Review of International Studies 32: 419-437.
Hansen, T. B. and F. Stepputat (2005). Sovereign bodies : citizens, migrants, and states in the postcolonial world. Princeton, N.J. ; Oxford, Princeton University Press.
Spaces of Aid 