This piece is a reflection on the shortcomings and flaws of humanitarianism as a field. It draws on the ethnographic works of Ilana Feldman, Nadia El-Shaarawi, Catherine Besteman, and others, all of whom make astute and important critiques of humanitarian organizations and practices in their works on Palestine, Cairo, and the Global South as a whole. This piece also examines the field’s ties to foreign policy, mobility controls, security and surveillance, and colonialism. This collage aims to visually demonstrate the dichotomy of humanitarianism—the good and the bad—and challenge how we conceptualize humanitarian aid. Many of the materials for this collage came from New Internationalist, an independent cooperative magazine highlighting journalists and experiences from the Global South. They emphasize the need for land and wealth redistribution and structural change, rather than short term fixes from foreign aid. By bringing such perspectives to the forefront of the discussion on humanitarianism, we can begin to understand how global politics, power, colonialism, and security influence and limit the humanitarian field, and how we might move forward instead.
