IN-EAST News
05.06.2014 - 00:00
Conference Humanitarianism and Changing Cultures of Cooperation, Essen
Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research (KHK/GCR21) together with the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen, are pleased to invite to
Conference Humanitarianism and Changing Cultures of Cooperation
on 5th–7th June 2014 at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen (Goethestraße 31, 45128 Essen).
Humanitarianism has become a major feature of global social life. In fact the necessity of humanitarian thought and actions seems to be the ineluctable starting point of any debate about how to treat those in need in our neighbourhoods and across the globe. However, humanitarianism is highly controversial, both as a concept and as a phenomenon: Its emergence is deeply entangled in colonialism and Eurocentric concepts of a "civilizing mission". At present, humanitarianism is seen by many as distracting from and thus perpetuating the deeper causes of inequality and misery. Also, invocations of humanitarian motivation for action are almost always faced with the charge of either inadequate sentimentality or hypocrisy.
Against this background the conference wants to tackle the humanitarian question, by analyzing the motivations of humanitarianism in the Modern Age, devoting attention both to conceptual precision and the adequate account of concrete historical developments. In order to do so, the conference will focus on five sets of questions, concerning religion, emotion, visual representation, locality and universality.
For further information, please visit http://www.gcr21.org/en/events/cache/nc/.
The conference is opened to academics and practitioners who are interested in the interdisciplinary debate on the conceptual and historical development of "humanitarianism". Participation is free of charge. We most certainly encourage participation of young academics.
Kindly register by 21th May at events@gcr21.uni-due.de.
We look forward to welcoming you at the conference!
For a pdf-download of the conference program please click here: https://www.uni-due.de/in-east_former_website/fileadmin/news/Full_size/Humanitarianism_2014-06_Program.pdf
The Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research (KHK/GCR21) was established in February 2012 in Duisburg. The Centre provides a framework for internationally renowned scholars from different disciplines to pursue research on the challenges and opportunities of global cooperation in a culturally diverse world society. These questions are the focus of four research units that develop along specific issues of high global relevance. The Centre also seeks to transmit results and promote discussions among the broader public. Besides numerous publications the Centre sponsors the quarterly public "Käte Hamburger Lecture" as well as the "Käte Hamburger Dialogues".
Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
http://www.kaete-hamburger-kollegs.de/
Participating Institutes:
German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
http://www.die-gdi.de/
Institute for Development and Peace (INEF)
https://inef.uni-due.de/cms/files/inef-insights_einblicke_webversion.pdf
Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI)
http://www.kulturwissenschaften.de/en/home/index.html