Author Archives: Denis Kennedy

About Denis Kennedy

Denis Kennedy is associate professor of political science and director of Peace and Conflict Studies at the College of the Holy Cross. He has also held positions at Washington and Lee University and at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His research and teaching interests encompass the areas of international organization, global governance, and international relations theory, with a specific focus on humanitarianism. Prior research has appeared in journals including International Theory, Journal of Civil Society, Latin American Policy, and the Journal of Humanitarian Assistance.

Humanitarianism Governed: Rules, Identity, and Exclusion in Relief Work

August 3, 2019 by
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Abstract: This essay investigates the origins and implications of humanitarian self-regulation. It analyzes two cases: the Sphere Project and the Code of Conduct on Images and Messages. Through archival research and interviews, self-regulation is shown to emerge from a crisis of legitimacy that destabilized assumptions as to the inherent goodness of aid. But what must be done—and how? The article presents the contests—ideational and material—for position that informed regulatory debates. For aid veterans, self-regulation emerged as a vehicle to shift the very bases of humanitarian Continue reading → Continue reading →