The project “Resilient Humanitarianism: the League of Red Cross Societies, 1919-1991” aims to advance the concept of resilient humanitarianism through a historical investigation of one humanitarian body, the League of Red Cross Societies, from its inception to the end of the Cold War. Global humanitarian crises abound due to ongoing conflict and natural disasters, but nation states, bodies such as the United Nations, and humanitarian organization seem incapable of offering lasting solutions to intractable situations. This project employs rarely accessed archives and an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the evolution of humanitarianism, voluntary action, and global civil society during the 20th century. This historical analysis can then be used to inform humanitarian policy, debates, and practice in the present and the future.
The Chief Investigators on this project, Professor Melanie Oppenheimer, Professor Susanne Schech, and Dr. Romain Fathi, are all from Flinders University. They are joined by Partner Investigators, Professor Neville Wylie at Stirling University and Dr. Rosemary Cresswell (formerly Wall) from the University of Hull.
In late November 2018, the ARC’s Discovery Project informed the project leads that they will be receiving funding for the “Resilient Humanitarianism” research project. More information will be made available shortly regarding best use of the project’s Advisory Board and proposed steps moving forward.
For more information on this project or to express interest in participating in this project, please contact the project leads:
Professor Melanie Oppenheimer at melanie.oppenheimer@flinders.edu.au
Professor Susanne Schech at susanne.schech@flinders.edu.au
Dr. Romain Fathi at romain.fathi@flinders.edu.au
