Author Archives: Malay Firoz

About Malay Firoz

Malay Firoz is an assistant professor of anthropology at Arizona State University. His research is located at the intersections of the anthropology of humanitarianism, the anthropology of ethics, political theory, forced migration studies, and Middle East studies. His book manuscript, The Resilience Paradox: Horizons of Humanitarian Ethics in the Syrian Crisis, explores the politics of humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, analyzing the political and ethical implications of a recent turn toward “resilience-based” approaches to international aid. In 2022, he published an article in Co-herencia titled “Adapt or Die?: Resilience Discourse and the Shifting Contours of Humanitarian Morality.”

Epistemics of Aid: Toward a Liminal Critique of Resilience in the Syrian Crisis

Abstract: Humanitarian actors since the Syrian crisis have acknowledged that traditional emergency relief cannot meet the growing challenges of mass displacement. This article traces the political contradictions of the Resilience Agenda, a novel approach to humanitarian aid which claims to offer an integrated developmental solution to the needs of both Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Jordan and Lebanon. The article shows how resilience draws aid organizations into paradoxical relationships of cooperation and conflict with the very asylum states that undermine Syrian resilience, intensifying Continue reading → Continue reading →