Humanitarian affect: Islam, aid and emotional impulse in northern Pakistan

Islam in local contexts: Localised Islam in Northern Pakistan

As Clifford Geertz remarked in his Islam Observed (1968), the idea of a ‘changing’ religion is a contradiction in terms, as religion is fundamentally concerned with what is permanent and eternal. Still, one way to come to terms with religious change is to consider the many ways that religion is interpreted, by laymen and scholars alike. Social anthropologists like myself have naturally found a ...

Public health, emergencies and the humanitarian impulse.

The global response to the tsunami disaster in south Asia on 26 December 2004 has been overwhelming. Approximately US$ 6 billion have been pledged in aid by citizens and governments, and authorities have offered military assistance and debt relief (W1). This outpouring of goodwill reflects the universality of the humanitarian impulse: an innate, altruistic urge to assist fellow human beings who...

The humaniTarian impulse in DocumenTary pooja rangan

Controlling humanitarian aid cowboys in Afghanistan.

Business processes in international humanitarian aid

International humanitarian aid provides assistance such as food, shelter, and health or counseling services across national boundaries to communities in need. Universally, international humanitarian aid organizations play a critical role, by supporting the survival and recovery of communities affected by crises such as natural disasters, conflicts or disease epidemics. In most instances the tec...