perspective, terms redolent of the tensions between and conceptual problems
associated with notions of sovereignty, rights and justice.^29
The past decades have witnessed the crystallisation of what we might term a
literature of humanitarianism in crisis. This critical, indeed often self-critical
literature has emerged from a number of sources. We can now begin to assemble a
coherent picture of it. Memoirs and studies by professional aid workers such as
MSF’s Rony Brauman, James Orbinski, Fiona Terry and Oxfam’s Tony Vaux are
central texts.^30 They provide an interesting counterpoint to the autobiographies and
biographies of figures from within the UN system like Sadako Ogata, Jan Egeland
and Sergio Viera de Mello.^31 Most of these works are very much alive to the ethical
and political dilemmas of the humanitarian calling, presenting a valuable source of
material for the academic study of humanitarianism.^32 Closely related to these is
the reportage work of a number of sometimes critical friends of professional
humanitarianism such as William Shawcross, Michael Ignatieff and Caroline
29
Chris Brown, Sovereignty, Rights and Justice: International Political Theory Today
(Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002). 30
Three of the four mentioned here are from MSF. This is not coincidental, as the
organisation has always represented a conscious reflection on the nature of humanitarian
action, and has, in contrast to some other NGOs, devoted both space and resources to both
internal and public reflection on the issues discussed in this thesis. Rony Brauman, "From
Philanthropy to Humanitarianism: Remarks and an Interview", South Atlantic Quarterly 103,
no. 2-3 (2004). Rony Brauman, Penser Dans L'urgence: Parcours Critique D'un Humanitaire
(Paris: Seuil, 2006). Fiona Terry, Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian
Action (London: Cornell University Press, 2002). Tony Vaux, The Selfish Altruist: Relief Work
in Famine and War (Sterling: Earthscan, 2001). See also the account of a former Vice-
President of MSF and now President of Action Against Hunger. Jean-Christophe Rufin, Le
Piège Humanitaire, Suivi De Humanitaire Et Politique Depuis La Chute Du Mur (Paris:
EdiVons Jean-Claude LaWès, 1986). For a useful survey of MSF, see Dan Bortolotti, Hope in
Hell: Inside the World of Doctors without Borders 31 (Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2004).
Jan Egeland, A Billion Lives: An Eyewitness Report from the Frontlines of Humanity (New
York: Simon & Schuster, 2008). Sadako Ogata, The Turbulent Decade: Confronting the
Refugee Crises of the 1990s (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005). Samantha Power, Chasing the
Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World 32 (London: Penguin, 2008).
This is in contrast to the slightly more hagiographic tone of similar works from the early
1990s. See for example Maggie Black, A Cause for Our Times: Oxfam, the First 50 Years
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992). Wallace J. Campbell, The History of CARE: A
Personal Account (New York: Praeger, 1990).