Organizing Disaster: The Construction of Humanitarianism - Couverture rigide

Rostis, Adam

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1785606859 ISBN 13 : 9781785606854

Editeur : Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2016

Synopsis

This book challenges the taken-for-granted status of organizations such as the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres by problematizing humanitarianism. In the experience of the Author working with such organizations, they are selective of the type of suffering that receives attention. Empirical studies of humanitarianism note that the suffering it purports to alleviate is increasing although aid is now highly organized, funded, and globalized. These observations inform the key question of the book: what purpose does the humanitarian organization serve? Rostis explores this question through a Foucauldian genealogy of humanitarianism focusing on the European colonial era and the Biafra War. The role of colonialism in the humanitarian organization is made apparent, and facilitates an interpretation of the results of his inquiry using postcolonial theory. This unique contribution to organization studies re-reads humanitarianism to show that humanitarian organizations essentially serve as global disciplinary institutions. It will be essential reading for scholars in political science, international sociology, organization studies and international affairs.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Adam Rostis, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

À propos de la quatrième de couverture

"An important and groundbreaking book. Challenging, provocative and a much needed scholarly critique of the colonial project that is humanitarianism." - Professor Bobby Banerjee, Cass Business School, City University London, UK

"In a brilliant genealogical and postcolonial analysis, this work articulates modes of subjectivation produced by and being produced through the naturalization of humanitarianism as organizational discourse and practice. As such, the study beckons the reader in an unexpected way to gain a fuller understanding of contemporary global organizations by going beyond those specifically designated as 'humanitarian.'" - Professor Marta B. Calás, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, USA

"Humanitarianism and the so-called humanitarian organizations are usually treated as a taken for granted social construction, and their impact on saving lives and reducing suffering remains widely unquestioned. In this context, the main contribution of this book is to dare to discuss what seem to be universally accepted values and beliefs. The choice of Michel Foucault’s genealogical approach to history proves to be a powerful resource to analyze the humanitarian discourse as a contemporary social force that naturalizes the structure that produces victims and helpers and avoids both the historical dimension and the resistance of those treated as passive subjects. The contribution of this book goes far beyond the analysis of the Red Cross and MSF. It constitutes a seminal contribution to the theme of humanitarianism." - Professor Maria Ceci Misoczky, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Date d'édition: 2016
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1785606859
• ISBN 13: 9781785606854
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 156
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Easy Access System Europe Oü, 16879218; gpsr.requests@easproject.com; ; Mustamäe tee 50, 10621, Tallinn, Estonia; Tallinn; 10621; Estonie