Challenging Humanitarian Principles and Practice
This project explores changes and challenges to the humanitarian field as seen from the vantage point of the Protection of Civilians (PoC) discourse and its multiple and contextual renderings in Northern Uganda.Deltakere
This postdoctoral project explores contemporary changes and challenges to the humanitarian field as seen from the vantage point of the Protection of Civilians (PoC) discourse.
It seeks to describe and analyse PoC renderings at different analytical levels; international policy, among humanitarian organisations at home and in the field, and in practice among the intended beneficiaries in Northern Uganda. The project addresses changes and challenges to the instituted orders and structures of humanitarianism. It puts attention to how its traditional dominant form – drawing on the core humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence – increasingly is being questioned by scholars, practitioners and beneficiaries as a result of, amongst others, what has been described as a humanitarian mission creep.
Northern Uganda is a case in point where the erstwhile humanitarian crisis has moved into a post-conflict, recovery and development phase; and while some humanitarian actors have withdrawn others have stayed on and assumed new tasks. But: what happens to those who still receive or need protection, and how sustainable are the protection efforts put in place by the withdrawing agencies? Or, conversely: what happens to humanitarianism and its asserted neutrality – so crucial for humanitarian organisations legitimacy and access to those affected by conflict – when humanitarian actors originally mandated to do protection stay on and engage in the politics of development?
This research is part of a larger, collaborative project – Protection of Civilians: From Principle to Practice – involving researchers from CMI, NUPI and PRIO.
Finansiering
The project is financed by NRC's HUMPOL programme.
Publikasjoner
- Lie, Jon Harald Sande
(2012). The knowledge battlefield of protection,
in African Security. Volum 5(3-4).
.Taylor & Francis.s. 142–159.Denne artikkelen utforsker begrepet "beskyttelse av sivile" som en diskursiv kamp om kunnskap hvori de ulike aktørene kappes om mening og moralsk tilhørighet. Diskursen rundt beskyttelsesbegrepet tolkes kontekstuelt avhengig av de involverte aktørenes mandat og institusjonelle kultur. [url]
