Humanitarianism and Human Rights: A World of Differences?

Humanitarianism and Human Rights: A World of Differences? (Cambridge University Press) explores the fluctuating relationship between human rights and humanitarianism. Leading scholars probe the shifting meanings of human rights and humanitarianism across ethics, obligations, duties, history, and modern-day practice.

The GW Elliott School of International Affairs Book Launch Series was proud to present a discussion of the book led by its editor, Michael Barnett, and co-sponsored by the Humanitarian Action Initiative and the Institute for International Economic Policy.

About the Host

The roundtable discussion will be introduced by Alyssa Ayres, the Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs. Her work focuses primarily on India’s role in the world and on U.S. relations with South Asia in the larger Indo-Pacific. Before joining the Elliott School, she was a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia under the Obama administration. She holds a Ph.D. in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago.

About the Moderator

Maryam Z. Deloffre is an Associate Professor of International Affairs at the George Washington University and the current Director of the Humanitarian Action Initiative at the Elliott School of International Affairs. Throughout her career, she has explored the nature of global order and how it is organized. Her investigations into the governance and coordination of global humanitarian and health assistance focuses on collective accountability standard-setting, and the coordination of emergency response. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the George Washington University.

About the Panelists

Michael Barnett (editor) is a University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at the George Washington University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of various fellowships, grants, and research awards for his work, including from the United States Institute for Peace, Smith Richardson Foundation, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. He has taught and written extensively in the areas of global governance, international organizations, humanitarianism, and Middle Eastern politics. Among his many books are Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism; Sacred Aid (co-edited with Janice Stein); Power and Global Governance (co-edited with Raymond Duvall); and Humanitarianism in Question (co-edited with Thomas Weiss). He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota.

Ilana Feldman is the Vice Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs and Professor of Anthropology, History, and International Affairs at the George Washington University. Her research has focused on the Palestinian experience, both inside and outside of historic Palestine, examining practices of government, humanitarianism, policing, displacement, and citizenship. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and History from the University of Michigan.

Miriam Ticktin is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at The New School for Social Research. She has written on immigration, humanitarianism and border walls in France and the US, and how bodies and biologies are shaped by gender and race. She received her Ph.D in Anthropology from Stanford University and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris, and an M.A. in English Literature as a Rhodes Scholar.