Eurocentric and Colonial/Modern Paradigms in Humanitarian Aid
The 1st International Humanitarian Aid Symposium, Ankara, Türkiye, 06 Aralık 2024 - 09 Şubat 2025, ss.41, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Ankara
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.41
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Decolonizing Eurocentric and Colonial/Modern Paradigms in Humanitarian Aid Humanitarian aid has long been shaped by Eurocentric, colonial/modern paradigms that prioritize Western conceptions of humanity, human rights, and risk and crisis management. These frameworks, rooted in colonial histories and imperial aspirations, often marginalize non-Western knowledge systems, perpetuate unequal power dynamics, and fail to address the complex realities of diverse communities. The proposed paper seeks to explore the urgent need to decolonize humanitarian aid by critically examining its foundational concepts and practices, including rigid definitions of “human,” “rights,” “risk,” and “crisis,” which frequently reflect and reiterate Western norms and priorities. Drawing largely on decolonial thought and their application to humantiatian aid work as frame of reference, the paper proposes alternative approaches to reimagining humanitarian aid as a more inclusive and equitable field. By highlighting how colonial legacies continue to shape contemporary aid practices—such as the imposition of Western values, the exclusion of local leadership, and the reliance on 41orld-driven agendas—it calls for a profound shift toward empowering local communities and recognizing diverse ways of knowing and being. In doing so, this exploration contributes to ongoing discussions about decolonization in global governance, offering a critical framework for rethinking humanitarian aid praxis to better align with the principles of equity, dignity, and solidarity. To this end, a wide spectrum of Anglophone literary and cultural texts will be introduced as narratives initiating to cpnceptualize and pratice humanitarian aid alternatively.