The Selfish Altruist: Relief Work in Famine and WarProvides an analysis of some of the most traumatic situations involving famine and war of the last two decades, helping us to understand what it takes to be an aid worker and how important humanitarian action is today. Famine and war evoke strong emotional reactions, and for most people there is a limited amount they can do. But the relief worker has to convert emotional responses into practical action and difficult choices - whom to help and how. Their own feelings have to motivate action for others. But can they separate out their own selfish feelings and prejudices in such an emotive climate? How do they avoid being partial among those they are helping? Are they motivated by altruistic concern, or the power they experience or the attention they receive? Tony Vaux brings over 20 years experience as one of Oxfam's leading emergency managers to the exploration of the conflicts between subjective impulses and objective judgements and the dilemmas relief workers contend with. |
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Contents
The Loss of Impartiality | |
Impartiality and Selfrespect | |
Vulnerability and Power | |
Pride and Principle | |
Emotion and Order | |
Responsibility and Rights | |
The Selfish Altruist | |
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Common terms and phrases
action Afghanistan Africa aid agencies aid workers areas asked attack became become began bombing called camps cattle cause concern continued culture debate described donors emergency emotional especially Ethiopia experience fact failure famine feel felt force gender genocide give global happened human humanitarian ideals important individuals interests intervention involved issue killed Kosovo lack lives looked managers means military Mozambique objective operation organization Oxfam perhaps person political poor position possible poverty principle problem programme question reason reflected refugees relief representative response result Rwanda seemed sense sides simply situation social society Somalia staff stop Sudan suffering Taliban talk turned understand values West Western women wrote
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Selfish Altruist: Relief Work in Famine and War |
| Author | Tony Vaux |
| Publisher | Routledge, 2013 |
| ISBN | 1136546847, 9781136546846 |
| Length | 240 pages |
| Subjects | › › Business & Economics / Development / Economic Development Nature / Ecology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |