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Humanitarian Reason: A Moral History of the Present Times by Didier Fassin
In the face of the world's disorders, moral concerns have provided a powerful ground for developing international as well as local policies. Didier Fassin draws on case materials from France, South Africa, Venezuela, and Palestine to explore the meaning of humanitarianism in the contexts of immigration and asylum, disease and poverty, disaster and war. He traces and analyzes recent shifts in moral and political discourse and practices - what he terms "humanitarian reason"- and shows in vivid examples how humanitarianism is confronted by inequality and violence. Deftly illuminating the tensions and contradictions in humanitarian government, he reveals the ambiguities confronting states and organizations as they struggle to deal with the intolerable. His critique of humanitarian reason, respectful of the participants involved but lucid about the stakes they disregard, offers theoretical and empirical foundations for a political and moral anthropology.
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First published October 7, 2010
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About the author
Didier Fassin
91 books112 followersDidier Fassin is a French anthropologist and sociologist. He is currently the James D. Wolfensohn Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and holds a Direction of Studies in Political and Moral Anthropology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 9, 2025
This is one of those rare volumes that manages to be both academically rigorous and politically relevant to things the world is still greatly struggling to conceive today. It peels back the layers of what we think we know about health systems, showing how structural inequality, market forces, and state governance interact in ways that often undermine the very populations they claim to protect.
The book is organised as a series of case studies, each offering a different angle on the politics of health. Two chapters stood out to me in particular, beyond the introduction with explained the key methods, approaches and philosophies very clearly.
Chapter 3, “The Compassion Protocol”, an intriguing examination of how the French state grants healthcare access to undocumented migrants only under highly specific, life-threatening conditions. Fassin reveals the moral economy at work here: the state positions itself as benevolent while tightly controlling who is deemed ‘worthy’ of care. It’s a chilling reminder that humanitarianism often masks the structural causes of scarcity, turning healthcare from a right into a conditional privilege.
And Chapter 5 while very different in subject matter, exposes another “hidden in plain sight” policy dynamic. It addresses how bureaucratic and regulatory frameworks can inadvertently reproduce inequality, even in systems ostensibly committed to equity. What makes it so compelling is that the problems it identifies are not the result of malice or incompetence, but of the underlying logics baked into institutional processes. These are logics that prioritise efficiency, market viability, or political expedience over actual health outcomes.
The strength of this book is how it forces you to reconsider the seemingly neutral language of policy. The case studies are rich in ethnographic detail, but they also serve as frameworks for thinking about other contexts entirely, whether that’s pharmaceutical shortages, HIV/AIDS programmes in the Global South, or debates over rationing in public healthcare.
Overall, this is a book that will stay with me. It’s ideal for students and scholars in anthropology, development studies, public health, or policy analysis, but it’s also accessible enough for readers outside academia who are curious about why health systems fail and who they fail first.
The book is organised as a series of case studies, each offering a different angle on the politics of health. Two chapters stood out to me in particular, beyond the introduction with explained the key methods, approaches and philosophies very clearly.
Chapter 3, “The Compassion Protocol”, an intriguing examination of how the French state grants healthcare access to undocumented migrants only under highly specific, life-threatening conditions. Fassin reveals the moral economy at work here: the state positions itself as benevolent while tightly controlling who is deemed ‘worthy’ of care. It’s a chilling reminder that humanitarianism often masks the structural causes of scarcity, turning healthcare from a right into a conditional privilege.
And Chapter 5 while very different in subject matter, exposes another “hidden in plain sight” policy dynamic. It addresses how bureaucratic and regulatory frameworks can inadvertently reproduce inequality, even in systems ostensibly committed to equity. What makes it so compelling is that the problems it identifies are not the result of malice or incompetence, but of the underlying logics baked into institutional processes. These are logics that prioritise efficiency, market viability, or political expedience over actual health outcomes.
The strength of this book is how it forces you to reconsider the seemingly neutral language of policy. The case studies are rich in ethnographic detail, but they also serve as frameworks for thinking about other contexts entirely, whether that’s pharmaceutical shortages, HIV/AIDS programmes in the Global South, or debates over rationing in public healthcare.
Overall, this is a book that will stay with me. It’s ideal for students and scholars in anthropology, development studies, public health, or policy analysis, but it’s also accessible enough for readers outside academia who are curious about why health systems fail and who they fail first.
July 10, 2018
Superb, fine-grained analysis of the insufficiency of humanitarian reason in case studies taken from France and around the world. It opened my eyes to the powers of anthropology.
June 11, 2017
There is a lot going on here. In Humanitarian Reason, Fassin's interests lie in distinguishing the recent (post World War II ish) shift in moral emphasis from diverse types of governance and toward a specifically humanitarian governance that is motivated by humanitarian reason. In this new paradigm of reason and policy, suffering is meant to be displayed and demonstrated for expert evaluation, for example, whereas previously suffering would be public but not sufficient cause in itself for action. Thus Fassin looks at programs for distributing aid to the poor or to immigration and asylum tribunals to discern how this happens in France, but also toward Venezuela and Palestine, for instance, to determine how states of exception and humanitarian aid use the same mode of reasoning abroad.
Much is quite worthwhile and Fassin's concern with the microelements of governmental power and the human faces left in the shadows of political operations creates a compelling and quite moving narrative history. Empirical certainty punctuates his work and theoretical sophistical propels it; meanwhile, Fassin never becomes polemical or uncompromising in his tone – even as he reaches stark and really quite critical conclusions that are, I think, necessary to contemplate. Humanitarian reason's central position in policy and state action motivates a hierarchical chain of dynamic relationships of power. If this is of interest, read the book! :)
Much is quite worthwhile and Fassin's concern with the microelements of governmental power and the human faces left in the shadows of political operations creates a compelling and quite moving narrative history. Empirical certainty punctuates his work and theoretical sophistical propels it; meanwhile, Fassin never becomes polemical or uncompromising in his tone – even as he reaches stark and really quite critical conclusions that are, I think, necessary to contemplate. Humanitarian reason's central position in policy and state action motivates a hierarchical chain of dynamic relationships of power. If this is of interest, read the book! :)
December 24, 2021
How did we get to this specific moral economy around humanitarian work? Why do we speak of suffering and compassion rather than justice and rights? What does this obscure or reveal?
At times excellent, at others I felt adrift in the sheer volume of detail that, perhaps lacking familiarity ethnographic methods, I struggled to connect in any meaningful way to his conclusions. I would say 4 stars for the theory, which I found fascinating and thought provoking, 3 for the rest.
At times excellent, at others I felt adrift in the sheer volume of detail that, perhaps lacking familiarity ethnographic methods, I struggled to connect in any meaningful way to his conclusions. I would say 4 stars for the theory, which I found fascinating and thought provoking, 3 for the rest.
December 3, 2017
Beautiful book, particularly the conclusion which is a reflection on the purposes of social critique. However, argument that situates humanitarian reasoning in Christian genealogy needed more fleshing out, because although he mentions Islam and Buddhist approaches he seems to erase them.
May 14, 2024
3.5.
Would have been good to have a bit more exploration of the concepts proposed in the texts in this work (despite the author's assertion that concepts are not everything). Nevertheless, a very important work on an often overlooked theme, which should be reflected upon today as well.
Would have been good to have a bit more exploration of the concepts proposed in the texts in this work (despite the author's assertion that concepts are not everything). Nevertheless, a very important work on an often overlooked theme, which should be reflected upon today as well.
May 11, 2025
A bit disjointed and I struggled to follow the middle chapters but a fairly accessible read and an essential critique of the humanitarian field
February 7, 2015
A colleague of mine in development suggested I read this book and it is a fantastic read. Engaging and thought-provoking throughout, Fassin looks directly at moral dilemmas faced today, particularly by international relief agencies. Part of this dilemma comes down to the value of a human life: not everyone is equal. Vast resources are spent on some individuals whilst others are forgotten without a second’s thought. For an academic text that delves into the ethics of development this was un-put-downable. Fassin brings his own nuanced experience of the sector to the discussion. The translation from the French is excellent.
October 1, 2015
This book is a rigorous and interesting anthropological work on humanitarianism and contemporary discourses on suffering and compassion. Fassin effectively combines theoretical analysis with strong ethnographic research and even the occasional statistic. The book lacks a clear normative or policy take-away point, but that's by design; Fassin aims to show the ambiguity of humanitarian reason. I think it's pretty accessible for a scholarly book, but as an academic, I have a high tolerance for academese. Overall, a good book that's worth reading if the topic appeals to you.
October 17, 2023
A really well-structured development of contemporary moral economies at work in social/humanitarian work and social welfare. I enjoyed many of the case studies (particularly France's Social Emergency Fund, and the Sangatte center/camp) that focused on moral trade-offs that arise in pursuing competing priorities, both at the administrative and decision-making levels
March 28, 2013
Three reasons for humanitarianism: response to a crisis, short term goals, and compassionate desire to help other human beings.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews