The concept of civilization is intrinsic to the English School’s understanding of international society. At the same time, engagement with discourses of civilization has been an important site of contestation within the English School, with quite different narratives of the evolution, structures and dynamics of international society being articulated. I argue that deeper analysis of how different waves of English School scholars engage with discourses of civilization provides a valuable pathway for mapping the evolution of English School thought and its understanding of the structure and dynamics of international society. Discourse analysis, a method firmly embedded in interpretivist approaches, can provide us with a valuable approach to unravel the complexities of English School thinking about civilization. Applying discourse analysis to these bodies of work allows us to explore nodal points within English School debates, the layering of particular texts, and how scholars engage with strategies of juxtapositioning and counternarrative in order to reveal how subjects are positioned in hierarchies of authority and reveal previously subjugated voices in their interpretations of the constitution and evolution of international society.
There is an ever-growing demand in the world for humanitarian action in response to the suffering caused by complex emergencies and natural disasters. Part of the power and appeal of humanitarianism is its universality, that is, the idea that humanitarianism is premised on cross-cultural moral truths and principles and a concern for the alleviation of suffering of humankind, regardless of differences. This idea of universality, however, is being called into question as expressions of humanitarianism and humanitarian actors become increasingly diverse. While Western states and organizations have long dominated the international humanitarian order (IHO), this is no longer the case today, with non-Western governments and societies becoming increasingly important and visible contributors to international humanitarian assistance. At the same time, these new IHO players are contributing to a broader range of perceptions of what constitutes legitimate humanitarianism; and while the concern for the suffering of others may be universal, it is clear that the response to suffering may differ across cultures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.