Humanitarians on the Frontier

This dense and intriguing book brings together philosophy, IR and reflections on humanitarian practice in a novel manner. It is concerned with the exploration of identity markers and patterns of engagement – with a particular focus on volunteering as a cornerstone of humanitarian identities. It is grounded in wide ranging readings and does not shy away from tackling the most complex concepts. It builds on theories of identity and trust to establish notions of social identity relevant to humanitarian work, communal trust. While largely theoretical in tone and in its sources, it does not shy away from looking into the historical defining of humanitarian concepts in the 1960s and from exploring these concepts in action through early 2000s field experiences. This makes this book an original and brave voice in a field which needs more bridges between theory and praxis.

I for one found it a stimulating and engaging read worth coming back to.

-- Bertrand Taithe, Professor of Cultural History at the University of Manchester

This is an important book that demands to be taken off the shelf and read. In an age of mounting skepticism towards humanitarian action, Alasdair Gordon-Gibson provides a searing new vision which translates humanitarianism’s founding values of voluntary service and shows how they can be put to work to address some of the world’s most difficult crises. Combining a lifetime’s work for the Red Cross and Red Crescent with a sophisticated understanding of social identity theory, it sheds genuinely new light on old problems and shows how a new and more sustainable humanitarianism can be fostered by embedding it within the societies it lives within rather than treating it as a profession apart. It is nothing short of a call for a revolution in humanitarian affairs that will drive debate, thought, and practice for years to come.

-- Professor Alex Bellamy, Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Professor of Peace and Conflict at the University of Queensland in Australia

It is rare that I read a text on conflict and development and find both an excellent treatment of practical issues and also fascinating theoretical suggestions for how to address the failings of humanitarian action. Gordon-Gibson’s long career in the logistics and delivery of aid and his use of extensive archival sources helps us understand the narrative of aid, which he argues has lost its way. This makes for a very unusual approach. The sophistication of the blend of these elements is practically unique in my experience. It also makes the important suggestion that the aid sector needs to refind its roots and its legitimacy not only with the donors but also with the recipients. Aid has become far too divorced from the human dimension and been superseded by political imperatives. It needs a renewed sense of meaning. This a stupendous achievement for a first major book.

-- Andrew J. Williams, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, University of St. Andrews, Author of (with Roger Mac Ginty) 'Conflict and Development' and "Liberalism and War"

Humanitarians on the Frontier by Alasdair Gordon-Gibson examines the possibility of recasting or reimagining the identity of humanitarian actors to achieve greater legitimacy and access for such actors to communities in need of assistance. It argues for a stable yet contingent identity as an auxiliary to state responsibilities in situations of humanitarian crisis. It provides a cogent critique of modern approaches to humanitarianism and humanitarian identity while pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It is wide ranging and explicitly multidisciplinary in its approach, drawing on philosophy, social psychology, anthropology, and politics/international relations, as well as literature from the humanitarian community and the author’s significant experience in the field. As such, the thesis goes beyond traditional literatures which focus, in particular, on the practical and international political contexts of humanitarian action, to examine the construction of identity and trust in broader socio-political contexts.

Indeed, it is Gordon-Gibson’s extensive experience as a humanitarian practitioner that provides unique insights and perspectives on the construction and legitimacy of humanitarian action. Rather than focus on the more prominent principles of humanitarian action – namely neutrality, impartiality, and independence – which are most frequently cited and studied in the literature, the thesis examines two other ‘core’ principles (at least from the Red Cross Movement perspective) which are understudied – voluntary service and universality to construct a unique argument in favour of a more minimalist, universal humanitarian identity capable of responding and adapting to a variety of contexts with a community-centred approach. This very deep multi-disciplinary philosophical approach is thus a unique contribution to the study of humanitarianism. It is critical, reflective, and forward-looking while drawing on historical experience. It has the potential to lead to a reassessment of discourse around identity of humanitarian actors, and as such is essential reading both for humanitarian practitioners and those seeking to understand humanitarian action.

-- Kurt Mills, Author of International Responses to Mass Atrocities in Africa: Responsibility to Protect, Prosecute, and Palliate

In Humanitarians on the Frontier, Alasdair Gordon-Gibson masterfully deconstructs humanitarian identity to its core – and reassembles it again around the often-overlooked concepts of voluntary service and universality. Diving into the philosophical dilemmas of humanitarian identity through history and across diverse practices and cases, the book offers hope for a universalist idea of a community with a common purpose – a more inclusive, prosocial, and representative humanitarian space. The book is written with a deep sense of concern for a humanitarian system in a crisis, amid the growing public mistrust of political authority and humanitarian neutrality and impartiality around the world. It is only through reconnecting the humanitarian sector with those it seeks to assist and by ‘rehumanising’ humanitarian discourse – as the author expertly argues – that better, interdependent, and more trusted humanitarian relations can be established.

-- Dmitry Chernobrov, Senior Lecturer in Media and International Politics, University of Sheffield, Author of Public Perception of International Crises: Identity, Ontological Security and Self-Affirma