Humanitarianism in the Modern World
The Moral Economy of Famine Relief

A fresh look at two centuries of humanitarian history through a moral economy approach focusing on appeals, allocation, and accounting.

Norbert Götz (Author), Georgina Brewis (Author), Steffen Werther (Author)

9781108737371, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2022

369 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.55 kg

'This very highly recommended book is an indispensable contribution to the growing study of historical change in humanitarian organizations.' J. M. Rich, Choice

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.

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.

Subject Areas: International humanitarian law [LBBS], Social & cultural history [HBTB], General & world history [HBG]