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The State as a Humanitarian Actor: What will the post-liberal humanitarian system look like?
22 April @ 16:00 - 17:15
In this hybrid Humanitarian Studies Centre and Humanitarian Governance seminar, Dr Oscar A. Gómez will critically confront the strong anti-State bias inherent in the liberal humanitarian system.
Based on the assumptions of incapacity or unwillingness to meet humanitarian needs, humanitarian studies primarily focus on non-state actors. This is problematic for several reasons, as it perpetuates the colonial structure of humanitarianism, wherein wealthy Western states act as benefactors through (also Western) non-state humanitarian actors who assist the weak and wicked rest.
Dr Oscar A. Gómez will argue that any attempt to salvage humanitarianism from its colonial past and present necessitates recognizing and scrutinizing the state’s role as a humanitarian actor.
So, what kind of humanitarian actor is the State? What are its characteristics? How does it reshape our understanding of humanitarian action?
He will present the case study of Colombia and its enduring struggle with multiple humanitarian needs to address these questions through both discourse and practice. In light of fundamental changes in international humanitarianism, he will propose a profile of the State as a humanitarian actor, outlining its primary features and implications for the future of humanitarianism.