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Spaces of Aid

How Cars, Compounds and Hotels Shape Humanitarianism
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( 23 ratings, 3 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Spaces of Aid delves into the complex realities faced by humanitarian workers, contrasting the controlled environments where they operate with the hardships endured by those they aim to help. Through detailed case studies of the Aceh tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, Lisa Smirl examines the physical and symbolic spaces—referred to as Aid Land—that shape the practice and experience of delivering aid.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$12100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Essential reading for students and scholars of humanitarian aid, international relations, and development studies, as well as aid professionals and anyone interested in the spatial dynamics of global humanitarian efforts.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A landmark work that – through analysing the three key symbolic sites of the grand hotel, the SUV and the compound – shows why we urgently need to think differently about humanitarian theory and practice

A landmark work that – through analysing the three key symbolic sites of the grand hotel, the SUV and the compound – shows why we urgently need to think differently about humanitarian theory and practice

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Aid workers commonly bemoan that the experience of working in the field sits uneasily with the goals they’ve signed up to: visiting project sites in air-conditioned Land Cruisers while the intended beneficiaries walk barefoot through the heat, or checking emails from within gated compounds while surrounding communities have no running water.

Spaces of Aid provides the first book-length analysis of what has colloquially been referred to as Aid Land. It explores in depth two high-profile case studies, the Aceh tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, in order to uncover a fascinating history of the objects and spaces that have become an endemic yet unexamined part of the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for pioneering insights, Spaces of Aid has been called inspirational by professor emeritus Mark Duffield, recognising its critical fresh perspective on humanitarian aid. Michael Barnett commends it as a fascinating and well-written contribution shedding light on a frequently overlooked aspect. The Development Book Review highlights its intriguing exploration of the detachment between aid workers and affected populations. The book honours Lisa Smirl's impactful legacy in rethinking humanitarian spaces.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781783603497

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 March 2015

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Zed Books Ltd

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 340g

Pages: 264

About the Author

Lisa Smirl was a lecturer in international relations at the University of Sussex. She worked previously for the United Nations Development Programme in Africa, Southeast Europe and Central Asia. A Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford, she did graduate work at the London School of Economics and completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2010. Lisa was from Manitoba, Canada. She died in 2013 at the age of 37.

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