Call for Paper

The conference aims to examine the closely interrelated and somewhat parallel history of war and humanitarianism from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.
From the Crimea and Solferino through the two World Wars to Biafra and Vietnam, wars have prompted humanitarian aid on an international scale. In fact, some of the most important humanitarian organizations share this background, the Red Cross being but the most prominent example. The roots of the activities of different Quaker relief organizations as well as Save the Children International, Oxfam, CARE and Médecins sans Frontièrs, can be traced to engagement with the armed conflicts of the 19th and 20th century.

For the last 150 years, humanitarian action has become an ever more integral element of modern warfare, and as such has entered the realms of international relations and international law, most prominently through the Geneva Conventions. Recent debates on the legitimacy of „humanitarian interventions“, and the ongoing debate over the extent of the neutrality of humanitarian actors, underscore the unresolved tensions that have characterized the relationship between war and humanitarianism from the very beginning.

The workshop aims to explore the relationship between war and humanitarianism in a global perspective. It will address the practice of aid in times of war, and will examine the ways in which humanitarian aid has been perceived by and transmitted to the “home front.” It will investigate the relationship between humanitarian actors and other parties to conflicts: the state, the military, expert communities in-and outside of academia, churches, social movements of the 1960’s, and other sectors of civil society.
Following a rough chronological order, the conference will be organized in three parts:

1. Civilizing war – humanitarianism and war in the age of nationalism, imperialism and global communication (1850-1914)
2. Humanitarianism in the age of total war (1914-1945)
3. New wars, new humanitarianism (post-1945)

Topics to be discussed under these general headings may include:
- Humanitarian interventions: development of concepts and practices

- Humanitarianism and pacifism in times of war
- Humanitarian ethos and the military
- Humanitarianism and foreign policy
- Humanitarianism and civil wars
- Humanitarianism as part of colonial/imperial wars
- Humanitarian aid and occupation
- Professionalization, scientification, and militarization of humanitarian aid

- Food aid in modern warfare
- Humanitarianism and the media in times of war
- Selling humanitarian aid to the general public
- Fundraising

The aim of the conference is to approach the topic from a broad, interdisciplinary perspective. We therefore encourage submissions from historians as well as from scholars rooted in other disciplines such as the social and political sciences, anthropology, cultural studies, and all those who share an interest in the questions at stake.

Please send proposals including your name and institutional affiliation as well as a brief CV and an abstract of the proposed paper (no longer than 500 words) under the heading: „War and Humanitarianism“ to the convenors at the following address by 15. September 2011:

daniel.r.maul@geschichte.uni-giessen.de

A selection of conference papers will serve as a basis for a publication of the workshop’s results.

The conference will take place in Rauischholzhausen Castle (near Gießen). Expenses for travel and accommodation will be covered.