HKU Bulletin June 2013 (Vol. 14 No. 3)

Research “Members of the HKU community are involved in many different humanitarian projects in China and around the world. What we have lacked, however, is a reflective capacity,” says the Centre’s Co-Director and one of its Founders, Dr Robert Peckham. “Through the Centre, we make space for those involved in humanitarian work to think about the social and ethical issues they face. We also learn from them, creating a loop between research and experience, the University and the wider community.” Moral sentiment One of the world’s leading thinkers on humanitarianism, Professor Didier Fassin, has been advising on the programme. Professor Fassin is an anthropologist, sociologist and trained physician currently based at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, where he is James D Wolfensohn Professor in the School of Social Science. As Visiting Research Professor at HKU, he has helped to provide an intellectual framework for considering humanitarian issues. Professor Fassin notes that while humanitarianism is seen as universally good and associated with everything from relief aid to military invasion, there is a need for a more neutral definition to encourage critical thinking. “Humanitarianism may be defined as the introduction of moral sentiments into politics. This allows one to go Humanitarian projects are carried out all over the world. But in the process of doing good, how often do practitioners reflect on the ambiguities that characterise humanitarian work or consider the ethical consequences of interventions? Universities are the obvious place for such reflection, but few have taken up the mantle. HKU is a notable exception. The Centre for the Humanities and Medicine is the first institution of its kind in Asia to promote a critical humanitarian focus. It holds an annual conference, supports research and knowledge exchange projects, publishes books, and holds public events on contemporary and historical humanitarian practices. beyond the actors who define themselves as humanitarian,” he says. Humanitarianism began largely as a Western, imperialist phenomenon in the 19 th century and has essentially remained a story “of going into the world and doing good”. But that has come with a trade-off. Doing good vs social justice “A key to the success of humanitarianism is that it is morally satisfying because you address urgent questions in relation to those most in need and you see an immediate result.” “But in doing humanitarian work, you may be less inclined to do social justice work. You may lose the broader picture of inequality in society. You may be understandably proud of saving lives but that becomes the reward as opposed to trying to change the structure of society.” Giving air to these ideas is not always easy because there is a ‘moral untouchability’ to humanitarianism which discourages critical thinking. “It is not a question of saying that humanitarianism is good or bad, but rather of asking: why can we not study humanitarianism as we study any other topic?” Professor Fassin says. This is why the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine is important, generating dialogue between stakeholders and furnishing a forum for reappraising the humanitarian enterprise. Asian perspectives The Centre encourages crossdisciplinary activities, particularly with an Asian focus, which is increasingly important as countries like China carry out their own humanitarian work. Dr Peckham says: “Over the last few years, a lot has been written about humanitarianism, but it seldom references Asia. Or Asia tends to be viewed as a destination for Western humanitarian aid, rather than a source of ideas on the subject, with its own histories. We are trying to change that by looking at the ‘humanitarian’ from Asian perspectives.” The Centre’s annual conference, for instance, draws participants from around the region, and researchers are encouraged to investigate issues related to Asia. HKU student-run humanitarian groups are also given moral and advisory support. In April, in a workshop led by Professor Fassin, Law student Nancy Yang, Co-Founder of Beyond the Pivot which has projects in rural China, Hong Kong and Ghana, said students faced criticism for being young and inexperienced, and encountered local officials who viewed them suspiciously. Ms Yang says the workshop provided students with practical guidance, as well as a ‘big picture’ context for thinking through assumptions and expectations. “Professor Fassin helped us reflect on the criticisms we encounter,” she says. “He also advised us on how to evaluate projects, which was extremely useful. He reminded us that you need to be able to step back from the field.” M A key to the success of humanitarianism is that it is morally satisfying because you address urgent questions in relation to those most in need and you see an immediate result. But… you may be less inclined to do social justice work. ° ± ² ³ ´ µ µ ² ± À » Á » ´ ± Â ¸ µ µ » ¹ Ã ¾ Ä ¬ © ¾ Å Æ Ç ¬ È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ë Ï Í Ë Ì Ð Ñ Ë Ò Ó Ì © Ç Ç Ô Ä Õ ¾ ¢ Ö ¡ ¢ ª 'U 3HFNKDP IRXUWK IURP WKH OHIW DQG 3URIHVVRU )DVVLQ ¿IWK IURP WKH OHIW PHW VWXGHQWV LQ Æ × Ø © ¤ ¾ Ù « Æ ª ¥ © Ä © Ã ¾ Ä ¤ Ç Ú Û Ô © Ä Ú Õ Ä © Ä ª Puzzling over the ‘Humanitarian’ Humanitarianism has been used to describe everything from the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to relief work after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to teaching English to Myanmese refugees. What, then, is ‘humanitarianism’? 19 June 2013 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin