– My talk will sketch some of the implications of taking indigeneity seriously in humanitarian action (conceived of as both emergency relief and longer-term "development" assistance). A number of potent critiques of humanitarianism's western dominance have been leveled in recent years, especially regarding both its inegalitarian practices and gaps in scholarship. At the same time, interest in and debate about the role of "religion" in humanitarianism (faith-based groups, etc.) has grown considerably. Yet this interest still sits rather uneasily with discussions of indigeneity, which is too often viewed through the prism of problems instead of contributions. I argue that taking indigeneity and religion seriously has critical implications for beginning to address the ongoing problems of western dominance in humanitarian practice, and also requires a change in the dominance of "local" versus "global" conceptual orientations.

Professor Cecelia Lynch is a political scientist working in the School of Social Science at the University of California, Irvine. Professor Lynch works on religion, ethics and humanitarianism in international affairs, social movements and civil society organizations, and interpretive/qualitative methods in social science research.

Welcome!

Indigeneity and religion: implications for international relations and humanitarian action
Visiting lecture by Cecelia Lynch
Wednesday 22.5.2019 at 13-14
Arktikum library (Pohjoisranta 4, Rovaniemi)
Welcome!

More information:
Research profile of Cecelia Lynch: https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=4537