Participants will discuss western humanitarian impulses and actions from the 19th century to the present. To what extent, then and now, have they been shaped by economic and security priorities? By religious and ethical movements? How have these forces co-opted one another or clashed, and what have been some of the results? How have African states, community groups and individuals adapted and reacted to Western humanitarian ideologies and programs? How significant a role has globalization – accelerated movements of people, visual and other media – played?
What has changed?
Discussant: Dr. Nina Berman is a professor of comparative studies, whose areas of interest include comparative literature and culture; German orientalism and colonialism; Germans in Africa; intercultural hermeneutics; travel literature; translation studies; travel in the Islamic world.
This forum is the first of three: "Saving Africa: a series of reflections". Future sessions will focus on:
* Service and other experiential learning: who is saving who?
* The Diaspora dynamic in humanitarian relief and development
All are welcome. For more information, contact Laura Joseph at the Center for African Studies
