Paper short abstract:

The figure of the 'distant stranger' has been central to many accounts of humanitarianism. This paper explores how distance, geographical and otherwise, matters for intervening in the lives of others.

Paper long abstract:

The figure of the 'distant stranger' has been central to many accounts of humanitarianism. This paper argues that while geographical distance matters, this is often a shorthand for a range of differences enveloped by it, including economic, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ones. In this context, what role does 'distance' play for intervening in the lives of others? What compels people to support local peers, regional neighbors, or those living on other continents? This paper aims to interrogate the meaning of distance, the intuited value of proximity for moral responsibility, and to disaggregate the notion of the 'distant stranger'. It does so through examining what consequences geographical proximity and distance have, taking as an example international aid workers based in Cambodia. It asks in what ways they are drawn to their work because it is based overseas, and how notions of travel and adventure matter. It emerges that international aid workers occupy shifting positions, and that their distance to needy others is dynamic rather than fixed. The effects of distance and proximity - for example, having face-to-face encounters with people who beg, deciding to stay in remote field sites or central office headquarters, require constant negotiation. The paper charts their movements between distance and proximity, the quandaries which this produces, and their responses. In conclusion, the chapter highlights what aid workers' engagements tell us more broadly about the moral relevance of distance and proximity.