Hierarchies and Exclusion in Humanitarianism

Contemporary narratives of humanitarianism portray this field as distinct in its value-orientation and, subsequently, as cohesive and egalitarian. Although very diverse in their practices and mandates, all humanitarian actors position themselves as "do-gooders" who alleviate the suffering that others - the "bad" ones - have caused. Recent calls to decolonialise humanitarianism and scandals about racist and sexual abuses however reveal a more disturbing story: the one of a sector shaped by hierarchies, dominance patterns and power relationships. The many types of hierarchical relations in the humanitarian arena, leading to the inclusion of some actors into powerful circles and the exclusion of others from such circles, form the point of departure of this edited volume. The goal of this edited volume is to move away from the glossy images of the humanitarian gesture to analyse how hierarchies, power asymmetries and exclusion emerge, are maintained and can be ultimately challenged in the humanitarian arena. It does so by gathering leading scholars on humanitarianism coming from a variety of disciplinary fields such as international relations, philosophy, organizational science and management, and sociology. Contributors analyse exclusion dynamics at the individual, organizational and structural levels combining data from ethnography, historical analysis interviews, survey and statistical analysis. Hierarchies and exclusion not only analyses hierarchies in global governance but also inform current efforts to strengthen inclusiveness and equity in humanitarianism.