Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the potentials of feminist ethics of care as a moral framework to address some of the challenges of humanitarianism in a manner that affirms the centrality of meeting human ‘needs’ while not taking for granted that such actions always play out in fields of power and politics.

Paper long abstract:

Multiple forms of crises in contemporary times have given way to the growth of a complex international system designed to fulfil a specific imperative: to preserve life and alleviate human suffering. The emphasis on ‘saving lives’ and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable shows how modern humanitarianism is shaped by discourses of benevolence towards distant/vulnerable others in the name of a perceived common humanity. While the purpose of humanitarian action is propelled by the need to provide (apolitical) care to crisis-affected populations, it has not always produced positive or desirable results. Of particular interest is how care discourses employed in humanitarian action has produced specific representations of its ‘subjects of care’: the passive (often feminized) vulnerable victim in need of saving. Moreover, such representations have consequently created hierarchies of victimhood and suffering, whether wittingly or unwittingly. Belying claims to impartiality, provision of aid/care has often led to the inclusion of some and the exclusion of others. More concerning is how such care discourses intertwine with colonialist discourses. These critiques underscore how, far from being apolitical, dominant ideologies and ethics in humanitarian practice tend to articulate existing global political and economic orders. This paper explores the potentials of feminist ethics of care as a moral framework to help address some of the challenges of humanitarianism in a manner that affirms the centrality of meeting human ‘needs’ in contexts of crisis while not taking for granted the fact that such actions always already play out in fields of power and politics.