Humanitarianism in the Modern World: The Moral Economy of Famine Relief

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Norbert Götz (Södertörns Högskola, Sweden) Georgina Brewis (University College London)

Humanitarianism in the Modern World

The Moral Economy of Famine Relief

Norbert Götz (Södertörns Högskola, Sweden), Georgina Brewis (University College London), Steffen Werther (Södertörns Högskola, Sweden)

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English

Cambridge University Press
03 November 2022

General & world history; Social & cultural history; Famine; International humanitarian law

This is an innovative new history of famine relief and humanitarianism. The authors apply a moral economy approach to shed new light on the forces and ideas that motivated and shaped humanitarian aid during the Great Irish Famine, the famine of 1921-1922 in Soviet Russia and the Ukraine, and the 1980s Ethiopian famine. They place these episodes within a distinctive periodisation of humanitarianism which emphasises the correlations with politico-economic regimes: the time of elitist laissez-faire liberalism in the nineteenth century as one of ad hoc humanitarianism; that of Taylorism and mass society from c.1900-1970 as one of organised humanitarianism; and the blend of individualised post-material lifestyles and neoliberal public management since 1970 as one of expressive humanitarianism. The book as a whole shifts the focus of the history of humanitarianism from the imperatives of crisis management to the pragmatic mechanisms of fundraising, relief efforts on the ground, and finance. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

By: Norbert Götz (Södertörns Högskola Sweden), Georgina Brewis (University College London), Steffen Werther (Södertörns Högskola, Sweden)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 550g
ISBN: 9781108737371
ISBN 10: 1108737374
Pages: 369
Publication Date: 03 November 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of Tables; List of Figures; Acknowledgements; List of Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Famine Relief in Perspective; 1.1 Social Origins of Famine; 1.2 The Moral Economy of Aid; 2. Case Studies; 2.1 Three Ages of Humanitarianism; 2.2 The Great Irish Famine and Ad Hoc Humanitarianism; 2.3 The Russian Famine of 1921–3 and Organised Humanitarianism; 2.4 Famine in Ethiopia 1984–6 and Expressive Humanitarianism; 3. Appeals; 3.1 The Humanitarian Appeal; 3.2 Empire, Faith, and Kinship – Ireland; 3.3 Altruism, Self-Interest, and Solidarity – Soviet Russia; 3.4 Television, Shame, and Global Humanity – Ethiopia; 3.5 Arousing Compassion: A Long View on Calls for Famine Relief; 4. Allocation; 4.1 Allocating Gifts; 4.2 Fostering Local Efforts – Ireland; 4.3 Live and Let Die – Soviet Russia; 4.4 Relief, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement – Ethiopia; 4.5 Targeting Aid: Realities on the Ground across Two Centuries; 5. Accounting; 5.1 Humanitarian Accountability; 5.2 Figures, Narratives, and Omissions – Ireland; 5.3 The Power of Numbers – Soviet Russia; 5.4 More than 'Dollars' and 'Per Cent' – Ethiopia; 5.5 Keeping the Record: A Bicentennial Perspective; Conclusion: The Moral Economy of Humanitarianism; List of References; Index.

Norbert Götz is a Professor at the Institute of Contemporary History, Södertörn University, Sweden. He is the author of Deliberative Diplomacy (2011) and Ungleiche Geschwister (2001), for which he has been awarded with the Hans-Rosenberg-Memorial-Prize. Georgina Brewis is Associate Professor at University College London. Her previous publications include A Social History of Student Volunteering (2014), English Teachers in a Postwar Democracy (2014) and The World of UCL (2018). Steffen Werther is Associate Professor at the Institute of Contemporary History at Södertörn University. His publications include SS-Vision und Grenzland-Realität (2012).

Reviews for Humanitarianism in the Modern World: The Moral Economy of Famine Relief

'This thoughtful history of humanitarianism links three case studies, all involving original research, to an analytical-historical framework for understanding famine relief, whereby the ad hoc efforts of the nineteenth century gave way in turn to more bureaucratized relief (c. 1900-1970) and the more aggressive, media-driven humanitarianism of the present. Well-written and clever, it should attract a broad readership, including policy-makers and civil society activists.' Cormac Ó Gráda, author of Famine: A Short History and co-editor of Famine in European History 'This book is an exciting departure in the history of humanitarianism. Its main innovation is in the authors' use of moral economy to explore in detail the triage and prioritisation famine relief work entailed. Stimulating and rewarding in turn, this book challenges our perception of how the history of aid can be written.' Bertrand Taithe, co-author of The Charity Market and Humanitarianism in Britain, 1870-1912 'Anyone interested to learn more about aid appeals for humanitarian disasters will not be disappointed by this rich account created by Götz, Brewis and Werther. Covering three of the world's most impactful humanitarian disasters, the author's provide a wealth of information full of relevant learnings for scholars, but also philanthropy professionals working on aid appeals for current humanitarian disasters.' Pamala Wiepking, editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy 'This very highly recommended book is an indispensable contribution to the growing study of historical change in humanitarian organizations.' J. M. Rich, Choice