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The Politics of Humanitarian Emergencies

Module description

This module introduces you to the politics of humanitarian emergencies. From the 1980s humanitarian emergencies have received increasing attention globally, with the Live Aid concert in response to the Ethiopian famine in 1985 a watershed moment for publics in the global north. The growth of humanitarian charities and NGOs, the increasing use of military intervention in response to atrocities, and the development of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle in world politics all raise significant political questions, including: Whose responsibility is it to respond to humanitarian emergencies? Should we be concerned with the increasing legitimacy of military intervention by global North in global South countries? How effective have recent interventions been? What are the risk factors for humanitarian emergencies? Who are NGO’s accountable to? How are humanitarian emergencies represented in the news media and other cultural productions (e.g. film)? Are humanitarian emergencies an inevitable consequence of an unequal world?

In this module you will be introduced to a range of theoretical approaches to help you answer these questions. You will be encouraged to analyse contemporary policy and practice, looking at a range of contemporary case studies and examples. The module is assessed by portfolio (3 short essays) and you will develop your research and writing skills to be able to convey your arguments concisely and precisely. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to introduce you to a range of theoretical and practical issues in the study of humanitarian emergencies and to enable you to critically analyse contemporary theory, policy and practice. We begin by considering the context for the development of humanitarian intervention as a state practice, for example the NATO intervention in Kosovo, which led to the development of R2P. We will consider how to explain and understand these developments in light of IR theories and key concepts like sovereignty, norms and legitimacy. We then explore the wider economic and post-colonial context of global politics with the aim of encouraging you to critically reflect on the power relations, structures and histories that shape the emergence and responses to humanitarian emergencies like genocides, famines and the outcomes of armed conflict. The module then moves on to look at the changing nature of conflict because of globalisation and you will learn about ‘new wars’ and ‘Complex Political Emergencies’. We then explore the role of humanitarian NGOs and the broader principles of humanitarianism, aid, and development. Finally, we analyse the representation of humanitarian emergencies in the news media and other cultural production like film, with the aim of encouraging you to critically analyse these representations and discourses that shape how we think about humanitarian emergencies. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Discuss, analyse, and critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives in the study of humanitarian emergencies in world politics;
• 2. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of empirical case studies and examples;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics to offer comprehensive analysis
• 4. Think critically and independently about events, ideas and institutions with minimal guidance

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Synthesize challenging literature and effectively articulate complex ideas in written form;
• 6. Identify, retrieve, and use efficiently a range of library-based and electronic resources with minimum guidance.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:     

• The historical context: human rights, humanitarian intervention, and the development of ‘Responsibility to Protect’ principle
• Conventional theoretical approaches to humanitarian intervention/R2P: pluralism and solidarism, legality, legitimacy, and sovereignty
• The economic context: Rethinking sovereignty, responsibility and intervention
• The postcolonial context: Rethinking legacies of empire
• Understanding complex political emergencies and ‘new wars’
• The politics of humanitarian aid
• Representing humanitarian emergencies in the news media, charity campaigns, and film  

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Daley, P. ‘Rescuing African bodies: celebrities, consumerism and neoliberal humanitarianism’, Review of African Political Economy, 40(137), (2013) pp.375-393.
• Duffield, M. Global Governance and the New Wars: the merging of development and security (London: Zed Books, 2001)
• Gifkins, J. ‘R2P in the UN Security Council: Darfur, Libya and beyond.’ Cooperation and Conflict, 51(2), (2016) 148-165.
• Keen, David, Complex Emergencies. (Cambridge, Polity Press, 2008)
• Lawrence, M. and Tavernor, R. Global humanitarianism and media culture. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2019)
• Müller, Tanja R^{. ‘}The Long Shadow of Band Aid Humanitarianism: revisiting the dynamics between famine and celebrity.’ Third World Quarterly. 34 (3), (2013) pp 4. 70-484. 
• Orford, Anne. Reading Humanitarian Intervention (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003)
• Wheeler, Nicholas, Saving Strangers, Humanitarian intervention in international society. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
• www.un.org (United Nations central site)
• www.unhcr.ch (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)
• www.amnesty.org (Amnesty International)
• www.forcedmigration.org (Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University)
• www.iom.ch (International Organisation for Migration)
• www.usip.org (United Sates Institute of Peace)
• www.odi.org.uk (Overseas Development Institute, UK)
• http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/ (International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect)

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Black Gold (2006) Documentary (directed by Francis and Francis)

Key words search

Humanitarianism, sovereignty, aid, responsibility to protect, NGOs