Global Security

Humanitarianism seminars at the FIIA

Seminars on Humanitarianism are held at FIIA (Kruunuvuoren katu 4, Katajanokka, Helsinki) usually every other Friday afternoon, at 14.00. Information on the seminar- past and forthcoming sessions, readings etc. - can be found here from now on.

The Humanitarianism seminars are chaired by Academy of Finland Research Fellow PhD. Mika Aaltola, who currently works at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. The seminar deals loosely with the themes of Academy of Finland funded project Ethics, Politics and Emergencies – Humanitarian Frame for Co-option and Collaboration in World Politics.

The research project focuses on themes expressed in the following research questions:
1. How do humanitarian practices reinforce and/or challenge existing world order? What are the implications of the intimate connections between politics and humanitarianism?
2. How are the complex relationships between humanitarian ethics and politics variously negotiated? How is power involved in the negotiation?
3. What are the patterns of co-option between foreign policy considerations and particular ethical standpoints?
4. How do humanitarian actors confront difference between themselves and the objects of their humanitarian action, negotiate that difference, and critically reconsider their moral positioning?  
More on the project see:     
http://humanitarianism.wordpress.com/

In the past Seminars topics such as Developmentalism and Humanitarianism, the Politics of humanitarian action, the visual representations used by Humanitarian organizations and ethics of imagery, School Shootings, Humanity Politics, Humanitarian documentary films, network enabled capability in humanitarian crisis situations have been discussed. The seminar group has had the pleasure of listening introductions by experts from humanitarian organizations and academic world, such as Professor Liisa Laakso from Helsinki University, Antti Pentikäinen from Finn Church Foreign Aid and Frank Johansson from Finnish Amnesty.

Next Humitarianism seminar meeting friday 4.9 at 14.00 at UPI.

If you are interested in reading the articles, or have some other questions about the seminar, please contact Noora Kotilainen (noora.kotilainen@upi-fiia.fi).
All interested – Welcome!