Short Abstract:

This workshop seeks to discuss what remains of the idea of a common humanity, derived for instance from humanitarian ideas and practices, in face of right-wing politics and particularistic moralities.

Long Abstract:

Humanitarianism has become a powerful force in our world, wrote Didier Fassin about a decade ago. This is based on an understanding of humanity that, on the one hand, refers to the idea of a humankind to which all people belong equally and, on the other, demands humaneness towards all human beings. Fassin described humanitarianism as a form of governance that is based on moral sentiments and aims to reduce the suffering of others. Humanitarianism creates the illusion that human solidarity can transcend national, ethnic, religious or political boundaries and differences.

Today, however, we must once again ask whether even the illusion and the discourse of shared humanity have become largely meaningless. Fassin himself pointed out the tension between humanity and security, between “compassion and repression”, which at least currently manifests itself particularly in the treatment of refugees. In view of the criminalization of sea rescue and a discourse that presents refugees primarily as a security risk, we must recognize that humaneness has lost much of its persuasive power and practical political significance. It is countered by the rhetoric of right-wing politics, absolutely foregrounding one's own interests, and a particularistic morality seeking to secure the privileges of one's own group. Something similar can be observed in climate politics, where one’s own economic interests are prioritized more and more, and protest is criminalized. What remains of the idea of a common humanity?

We invite ethnographic and conceptual contributions that deal with this question in fields such as climate and asylum politics.

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