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The fetishism of humanitarian objects and the management of malnutrition in emergencies

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  • Tom Scott-Smith

Abstract

This paper examines two common objects in humanitarian assistance: a therapeutic food called Plumpy’nut, and a tape for measuring malnutrition known as the muac band. It argues that humanitarian relief has become a standardised package reliant on such objects, which receive excessive commitment from aid workers and are ascribed with almost magical powers. Drawing on the Marxist notion of commodity fetishism, the paper proposes a three-part model for examining this phenomenon, in which humanitarian objects are bound up in processes of concealment, transformation and mystification. First, these objects are perceived as rootless, recent discoveries, allowing the complex history and ambivalent results of technology to be concealed. Second, they facilitate a single-minded attention to efficiency and aggregate survival, which transforms the way humanitarian action is understood. Third, these objects are imbued with a mystical and autonomous spirit, redefined as irreplaceable elements of aid. This ‘fetishism of humanitarian objects’, the paper concludes, prevents a more flexible and people-centred approach to relief.

Suggested Citation

  • Tom Scott-Smith, 2013. "The fetishism of humanitarian objects and the management of malnutrition in emergencies," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(5), pages 913-928.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ctwqxx:v:34:y:2013:i:5:p:913-928
    DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2013.800749
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    Cited by:

    1. Henrice Altink, 2020. "Tackling child malnutrition in Jamaica, 1962–2020," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Nisbett, Nicholas, 2019. "Understanding the nourishment of bodies at the centre of food and health systems – systemic, bodily and new materialist perspectives on nutritional inequity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 9-16.
    3. Haenssgen, Marco J. & Charoenboon, Nutcha & Althaus, Thomas & Greer, Rachel C. & Intralawan, Daranee & Lubell, Yoel, 2018. "The social role of C-reactive protein point-of-care testing to guide antibiotic prescription in Northern Thailand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 1-12.
    4. Jeevan Karki & Steve Matthewman & Jesse Hession Grayman, 2022. "From goods to goats: examining post-disaster livelihood recovery in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake 2015," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(3), pages 3787-3809, December.
    5. Ramos, Amaya Alexandra, 2022. "Opportunities for enhanced institutional accountability and professionalization: Essay on the relationships between refugee resettlement organizations, humanitarian bodies, industry and academia," SocArXiv ef89d, Center for Open Science.

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