Discussion on: Amidst the Debris – Humanitarianism and the End of Liberal Order

In recent years, liberal norms and institutions associated with the post-Cold War moment have been challenged by a visceral and affective politics. This has provoked the production of a considerable body of angsty writing on the state of liberalism. Bringing together intellectuals and aid workers, this book interrogates assumptions about liberal order and its putative collapse through discussion of one of its defining features: humanitarianism.  

It addresses three main questions: i) How should we understand the relationship between Western humanitarianism, in its contemporary form, and liberal order? ii) Is this really the end of liberal order? iii) To what extent do challenges to liberal order pose a threat to humanitarianism? 

This session will reflect on the book and its relevance to contemporary debates. 

Speakers