The Humanitarian Machine

Reflections from Practice

Diego Fernandez Otegui, Daryl Yoder-Bontrager, Diego Fernandez Otegui, Daryl Yoder-Bontrager

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780367689797
• eBook ISBN: 9781000402094
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Peace & Global Development
• Index: Politics & International Relations

As the world reels from the impact of a global pandemic and increasing intensity of climate-caused hazards, the humanitarian sector has never been more relevant. But providing aid to those affected by disasters and crises is more complex than ever.

In The Humanitarian Machine aid workers reflect on their own experiences of working in crisis. As they write about their work and the ways in which they each approach the challenges of helping people, they comment on some of the most vexing issues facing the humanitarian sector. Each speaks from their own perspective, asking tough questions, sharing thoughtful reflections about their ongoing work, and unpacking what it really means to be a humanitarian worker. The stories they tell, whether recounting a specific experience or reflecting on years of practice, reveal the dilemmas they face and demystify the overly romanticized aura that sometimes surrounds humanitarian practice.

Complementing the candid accounts that humanitarian leaders contribute in this book, the editors examine how their stories, perceptions, and understandings align with similar conversations that take place in other settings. Viewed together in this way, the insights and reflections provided in this book will be invaluable for humanitarian practitioners, students, and researchers alike.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title
• Series Information
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• About the editors
• About the contributors
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part 1 Flexibility and standardization: The mechanics of humanitarian delivery
• Part 2 Bridging the divide: Neither here nor there
• Part 3 Culture and power: The value of humanitarian interventions
• Conclusion
• Index