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The Moral Sense of Humanitarian Actors

Author

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  • Anaïs Rességuier

    (CEVIPOF - Centre de recherches politiques de Sciences Po (Sciences Po, CNRS) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper examines humanitarianism's moral positioning above private and political interests to save lives and alleviate suffering. It does not aim to assess the legitimacy of this stance, but rather to probe the way in which humanitarian actors relate to this moral dimension in their everyday work. It investigates empirically humanitarian ethics from the perspective of humanitarian actors, drawing on interviews conducted in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2014. As it is exploratory, three key conceptual innovations were required. The first of these is the introduction of the tools developed to consider a neglected reality: humanitarian actors' ‘moral sense' vis-à-vis the humanitarian sector's ‘moral culture'. Second, the study shows how the sector's moral culture is structured around the notion of ‘concern for persons in need'. Third, it analyses the way in which the sector and its actors handle the asymmetrical relationships encountered daily. Ultimately this paper seeks to valorise humanitarian actors' creativity in their common practices and explore potential challenges to it.

Suggested Citation

  • Anaïs Rességuier, 2018. "The Moral Sense of Humanitarian Actors," Post-Print hal-03458441, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03458441
    DOI: 10.1111/disa.12234
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-03458441
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dorothea Hilhorst & Loes Weijers & Margit van Wessel, 2012. "Aid Relations and Aid Legitimacy: mutual imaging of aid workers and recipients in Nepal," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(8), pages 1439-1457.
    2. Anne-Meike Fechter, 2012. "The Personal and the Professional: Aid workers' relationships and values in the development process," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(8), pages 1387-1404.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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