Saving the Children: Humanitarianism, Internationalism, and Empire

Save the Children's history is examined by Emily Baughan to demonstrate how Britain's goal to establish an international system supportive of its imperial rule influenced international humanitarianism. She contends that the modern aid sector must confront its past if it is to create a better future.

Format: Hardback
Length: 314 pages
Publication date: 23 November 2021
Publisher: University of California Press

Saving the Children delves into the intricate relationship between liberal internationalism and imperialism, tracing the historical trajectory of the humanitarian organization Save the Children. From its inception during the First World War to the era of decolonization, Save the Children positioned itself as a savior of children, aiming to save the world. However, the vision of the world it sought to preserve was narrowly defined by international capitalism and colonial rule. In a groundbreaking analysis spanning fifty years and eighteen countries, Emily Baughan reveals that Britain's drive to establish an international order conducive to its imperial rule played a significant role in shaping international humanitarianism. Through her research, Baughan unveils that modern humanitarianism and its conception of childhood emerged as byproducts of the early twentieth-century imperial economy. Saving the Children thus argues that the contemporary aid sector must confront its past in order to forge a new and more inclusive future.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520343719