Paternalism beyond Borders

This book asks how we understand the relationship between ethics and power in humanitarian action.

Michael N. Barnett (Edited by)

9781316625712, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 14 November 2016

342 pages, 2 b/w illus. 2 tables
23.2 x 15.5 x 2.1 cm, 0.51 kg

'Humanitarians use their resources and expertise to try to do what they see as good in the world, but sometimes bulldoze over the preferences and customs of the people they want to help.  Michael N. Barnett's crew of knowledgeable contributors illuminates their penetrating ethical analysis with real dilemmas that aid professionals face in Congo, Darfur, Gaza and other zones of conflict or abuse. Few books on any topic are as effective in breathing life into serious normative analysis through subtly contextualized case studies.' Jack Snyder, Columbia University

Nearly all of those who want to make the world a better place are engaged in paternalism. This book asks how power is intertwined with practices of global compassion. It argues that the concept of paternalism illuminates how care and control are involved in the everyday practices of humanitarianism, human rights, development and other projects designed to improve the lives of others. The authors explore whether and how the paternalism of the nineteenth century differs from the paternalism of today, and offer a provocative look at the power in global ethics, raising the question of whether, when, and how paternalism can be justified.

Acknowledgements
About the contributors
Part I. The Boundaries of Paternalism: 1. Only in the ballpark of paternalism: arrogance and liberty limitation in international humanitarian aid Henry S. Richardson
2. Rethinking paternalism: the meaning of gender and sex in the politics of asylum Didier Fassin
Part II. Paternalism, Old and New: 3. Eurocentric pitfalls and paradoxes of international paternalism: decolonizing liberal humanitarianism 2.0 John M. Hobson
4. The new international paternalism: international regimes David Chandler
Part III. The Social Relations of Paternalism: 5. Paternalism and peacebuilding: capacity, knowledge, and resistance in international intervention Séverine Autesserre
6. Enabling or disabling paternalism: (in)attention to gender and women's knowledge, capacity and authority in humanitarian contexts Aisling Swaine
7. The limits of consent: sex trafficking and the problem of international paternalism Sally Engle Merry and Vibhuti Ramachandran
8. Modernity at the cutting edge: human rights meets FGM Stephen Hopgood
9. Humanitarian refusals: Palestinian refugees and ethnographic perspectives on paternalism Ilana Feldman
Conclusion. The world according to paternalism Michael N. Barnett
Index.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]