Beyond Compassion: Gender and Humanitarian Action

This Element challenges essentialist interpretations of women's humanitarian action by showing how it has allowed women to participate in international politics by claiming their rights as citizens, struggling against class inequalities, racial segregation, and sexual discrimination. It also represents historically created moral economies of care, distinctive ways of feeling, performing, and knowing humanitarianism that have evolved in relation to shifting emotional values.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 07 December 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In order to craft a gendered history of humanitarian action, we must delve into the rich tapestry of emotions and senses, as well as the emerging field of experiences. By doing so, we can challenge the notion that women engage in humanitarian work solely due to their purported compassionate nature. Instead, we will explore how humanitarianism has provided a platform for women to participate in international politics, asserting their rights as citizens and combating class inequalities, racial segregation, and sexual discrimination. Through the lens of diverse emotions such as resentment, hope, trust, shame, and indignation, we will unravel how these case studies have shaped historically created moral economies of care. These moral economies represent distinctive ways of feeling, performing, and knowing humanitarianism that have evolved in response to shifting emotional values associated with what it means to be human.

Moreover, this title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core, ensuring that the insights and perspectives presented herein are accessible to a wider audience. Let us embark on this exploration together, as we strive to understand the complex interplay between emotions, senses, experiences, and the gendered history of humanitarian action. By doing so, we can contribute to a more inclusive and empathetic world, where the stories and contributions of women and other marginalized groups are recognized and celebrated.

ISBN-13: 9781009417099