Paper details
| Paper authors | Valentina Massone |
| In panel on | Everyday humanitarianism |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
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Abstract
This paper explores the ways in which queer theory can contribute new perspectives to the critical study of modern humanitarianism. It does so through the in-depth case study of LGBT+ Asylum, a small-scale, voluntary association, catering to the vulnerabilities of queer asylum seekers and refugees in Denmark. The study is built on six months of ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation within the organization and nine semi-structured interviews.
Rooted in Sarah Ahmed’s philosophical approach, this research explores queer participation in migration activism through phenomenological and affective lenses. In particular, focusing on emotions such as discomfort, pain and anger, it engages with the activists’ life experiences to investigate how they make sense of the world, relate to each other and shape humanitarian action.
The combination of queer theory and critical humanitarian studies fits well into the framework of everyday humanitarianism as it pushes citizen engagement in direct relation with global politics. Together with queer theory’s foundational rejection of rigid binaries and its endorsement of fluid, intersectional identities, this approach allows me to contest widespread assumptions, framing queer activists as both helpers and beneficiaries, challenging the separation between formal/informal aid spaces and including hybrid, transnational and non-hegemonic configurations of assistance in the broader humanitarian network.
