Paradoxes dans l’aide humanitaire

l’action humanitaire comme procédure contradictoire

Abstract

Based on Kouchner, the following argument is made by Boltanski: “Unlike law and justice, humanitarian aid action is not based on opposing rules and regulations”[1]. Even though Harrell-Bond (1986) and De Waal (1989) showed that humanitarian assistance programs can be perceived as being imposed, it’s only today that Boltanski’s underlying assumption loses its validity. How come? The use and abuse of standards for quantifying results of humanitarian aid operations is an irreversible mechanism. Looking at practical implications of this rationale, this article aims at showing how relief actions can be seen as being contradictory and paradoxical. The arguments are based on field work which explored the oppositions of beliefs and longings in the humanitarian aid sector.

[1] Boltanski L. (1993): La souffrance à distance, Morale humanitaire, médias et politique. Paris: Métailié, p.266.