Philanthropy or solidarity? Ethical dilemmas about humanitarianism in crisis‐afflicted Greece

Abstract

That philanthropy perpetuates the conditions that cause inequality is an old argument shared by thinkers such as Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde and Slavoj Žižek. I recorded variations of the same argument in local conversations regarding growing humanitarian concern in austerity-ridden Greece. Local critiques of the efficacy of humanitarianism, which I explore here ethnographically, bring to the fore two parallel possibilities engendered by the 'humanitarian face' of solidarity initiatives: first, their empowering potential (where solidarity initiatives enhance local social awareness), and second, the depoliticisation of the crisis (a liability that stems from the effectiveness of humanitarianism in ameliorating only temporarily the superficial consequences of the crisis). These two possibilities -which I treat as simultaneous and interrelated -can help us appreciate the complexity and social embeddedness of humanitarian solidarity in times of austerity.

Empathy, as Affective Ethical Technology and Transformative Political Praxis

“…A cynical observer could easily argue that the emphasis on the notion of 'solidarity' in the Greek context is merely rhetorical, a superficial replacement of the terms 'charity' and 'humanitarianism'. Yet, as an emerging body of ethnographic work has shown (Bakalaki 2008;Rozakou 2012Rozakou , 2016aRozakou , 2016bCabot 2014Cabot , 2016Rakopoulos 2014aRakopoulos , 2014bRakopoulos , 2015Rakopoulos 2016, the choice of words here has a political significance; it captures the desire of situated local actors to resist austerity (Theodossopoulos 2016). Voluntary work dedicated to the provision of food for impoverished fellow citizens is seen by solidarity volunteers as a conscious political standpoint, which conveys a message of defiance towards austerity: 'we will not passively accept the imposition of austerity rules', have said some of the volunteers, 'we will not stay inert, when our neighbour next door is suffering'.…”

“…Institutionalised sources of citizen-support-municipalities, NGOs, the church-complemented the local humanitarian landscape, by maintaining food-, cloth-and medicine-banks. Very interestingly, and as recent anthropological work has documented (Cabot 2014(Cabot , 2016Rozakou 2016aRozakou , 2016bTheodossopoulos 2016), the overwhelming majority of participants to humanitarian initiatives iii maintain an aversion towards the notions of philanthropy and charity, and a clear preference for the term 'solidarity', a more politically-conscious alternative (Rakopoulos 2015(Rakopoulos , 2016Theodossopoulos 2016), which resonates more closely with the empathetic approach.…”

“…As individual citizens come together to participate in humanitarian solidarity initiatives, they reconstitute their local community, creating networks of support, which can be used as loci of political action beyond humanitarianism. Through working together in solidarity-explain many volunteers-we learn to rely on our fellow citizen (see Theodossopoulos 2016).…”

The Autoimmunity of the EU’s Deadly B/ordering Regime; Overcoming its Paradoxical Paper, Iron and Camp Borders

“…By forcing asylum seekers to undertake a reckless odysseywhich also criminalises the travel of both a large portion of the world as well as those who assist undocumented migrants in their journeysthe EU has boosted a large-scale smuggling industry that profits from the legal void that the EU itself has made sure to enforce. Rather than the humanitarian philanthropy with which the EU so duplicitously pretends to characterise its border regime (Lavenex 2018), its anti-smugglingand, at its core, anti-refugeepolicies have become the legal framework on which a billion-dollar industry of refugee smugglers and border enforcers (e.g., Frontex) has thrived (Lyman and Smale 2015;Spijkerboer 2018). This is the third paradox of the paper border regime: the EU has decidedagainst its own principles and international obligationsto voluntarily create a border system that ensures only more "illegality", corruption and human insecurity.…”

Dealing with Undeniable Differences in Thessaloniki’s Solidarity Economy of Food

“…Solidarity is not a static or uniform term; it has been the subject of debate amongst scholars and activists in Greece over these years of crisis [15][16][17][18][19]. Viewed as a moral act, it must be enacted outside of the family, without the intent of personal gain or profit, nor with the embedding of exclusionary practices such as soup kitchens run exclusively for Greeks [4,16].…”