Title The empire of humanity : a history of humanitarianism / Michael Barnett

Published Ithaca [N.Y.] : Cornell University Press, 2011

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 296 pages) : illustrations Series Cornell paperbacks Cornell paperbacks. Contents Co-dependence : humanitarianism and the world -- The humanitarian big bang -- Saving slaves, sinners, savages, and societies -- Saving soldiers and civilians during war -- The new international -- Neo-humanitarianism -- Humanitarianism during wartime -- It's a humanitarian's world -- Armed for humanity -- Politics and anti-politics, or, The new paternalism Summary Empire of Humanity explores humanitarianism's remarkable growth from its humble origins in the early nineteenth century to its current prominence in global life. In contrast to most contemporary accounts of humanitarianism that concentrate on the last two decades, Michael Barnett ties the past to the present, connecting the antislavery and missionary movements of the nineteenth century to today's peacebuilding missions, the Cold War interventions in places like Biafra and Cambodia to post-Cold War humanitarian operations in regions such as the Great Lakes of Africa and the Balkans; and the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 to the emergence of the major international humanitarian organizations of the twentieth century. Based on extensive archival work, close encounters with many of today's leading international agencies, and interviews with dozens of aid workers in the field and at headquarters, Empire of Humanity provides a history that is both global and intimate. Avoiding both romanticism and cynicism, Empire of Humanity explores humanitarianism's enduring themes, trends, and, most strikingly, ethical ambiguities. Humanitarianism hopes to change the world, but the world has left its mark on humanitarianism. Humanitarianism has undergone three distinct global ages-imperial, postcolonial, and liberal-each of which has shaped what humanitarianism can do and what it is. The world has produced not one humanitarianism, but instead varieties of humanitarianism. Furthermore, Barnett observes that the world of humanitarianism is divided between an emergency camp that wants to save lives and nothing else and an alchemist camp that wants to remove the causes of suffering. These camps offer different visions of what are the purpose and principles of humanitarianism, and, accordingly respond differently to the same global challenges and humanitarianism emergencies. Humanitarianism has developed a metropolis of global institutions of care, amounting to a global governance of humanity. This humanitarian governance, Barnett observes, is an empire of humanity: it exercises power over the very individuals it hopes to emancipate. Although many use humanitarianism as a symbol of moral progress, Barnett provocatively argues that humanitarianism has undergone its most impressive gains after moments of radical inhumanity, when the "international community" believes that it must atone for its sins and reduce the breach between what we do and who we think we are. Humanitarianism is not only about the needs of its beneficiaries; it also is about the needs of the compassionate Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL English Print version record digitized 2011 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL Subject Humanitarian intervention -- History Humanitarian assistance -- History Humanitarianism -- History Altruism. Altruism Relief Work -- history History, 19th Century History, 20th Century History, 21st Century Internationality POLITICAL SCIENCE -- International Relations -- General. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Public Policy -- Social Services & Welfare. SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Human Services. Society. Altruism Humanitarian assistance Humanitarian intervention Humanitarianism Humanitarismus Humanitär intervention -- historia. Humanitärt bistånd -- historia. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE. HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION. INTERNATIONAL RELIEF. POLITICAL ASPECTS. HISTORY. Genre/Form History Form Electronic book ISBN 9780801460616 0801460611 9780801461095 080146109X 0801447135 9780801447136

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