Humanitarian Shame and Redemption: Norwegian Citizens Helping Refugees in Greece

The book explores the birth and trajectory of a Norwegian volunteer organisation "A Drop in the Ocean" and its efforts to 'fill humanitarian gaps in Greece while witnessing and shaming the Norwegian public and politicians into action. It focuses on the work of shame and other 'negative emotions' beyond existing critiques of humanitarian sentiments.

Format: Hardback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 08 December 2023
Publisher: Berghahn Books

The 2015 'refugee crisis' saw the emergence of various actors seeking to challenge or alleviate the EU's border policies. This book delves into the origins and development of a Norwegian volunteer organization called 'A Drop in the Ocean,' founded by a mother of five with no prior experience in humanitarian work. Through eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork, Heidi Mogstad examines the organization's evolving and contentious attempts to address humanitarian needs in Greece while simultaneously exposing and criticizing the Norwegian public and politicians, ultimately motivating them to take action. The book goes beyond traditional critiques of humanitarian sentiments like pity and compassion, focusing specifically on the role of shame and other 'negative emotions' in driving humanitarian efforts.

Weight: 522g
Dimension: 160 x 236 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781805392194