Doctors Without Borders: Humanitarian Quests, Impossible Dreams of Médecins Sans Frontières

by Renée C. Fox

An intimate portrait of the renowned international humanitarian organization. Winner of the PROSE Award for Excellence, Sociology and Social Work of the Association of American Publishers This study of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) casts new light on the organization’s founding principles, distinctive culture, and inner struggles to realize more fully its "without borders" transnational vision. Pioneering medical sociologist Renée C. Fox spent nearly twenty years conducting extensive ethnographic research within MSF, a private international medical humanitarian organization that was created in 1971 and awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1999. With unprecedented access, Fox attended MSF meetings and observed doctors and other workers in the field. She interviewed MSF members and participants and analyzed the content of such documents as communications between MSF staff members within the offices of its various headquarters, communications between headquarters and the field, and transcripts of internal group discussions and meetings. Fox weaves these threads of information into a rich tapestry of the MSF experience that reveals the dual perspectives of an insider and an observer. The book begins with moving, detailed accounts from the blogs of women and men working for MSF in the field. From there, Fox chronicles the organization’s early history and development, paying special attention to its struggles during the first decades of its existence to clarify and implement its principles. The core of the book is centered on her observations in the field of MSF’s efforts to combat a rampant epidemic of HIV/AIDS in postapartheid South Africa and the organization’s response to two challenges in postsocialist an enormous surge in homelessness on the streets of Moscow and a massive epidemic of tuberculosis in the penal colonies of Siberia. Fox’s accounts of these crises exemplify MSF’s struggles to provide for thousands of people in need when both the populations and the aid workers are in danger. Enriched by vivid photographs of MSF operations and by ironic, self-critical cartoons drawn by a member of the Communications Department of MSF France, Doctors Without Borders highlights the bold mission of the renowned international humanitarian organization even as it demonstrates the intrinsic dilemmas of humanitarian action.

Genres: Sociology, Medicine, Nonfiction

328 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2014

Reviews

[Mackenzie L-r · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super interesting, in-depth ethnography of MSF. Fox studies the organisation over many years, and captures the complexities of an organisation that wants to remain a movement but is simply too big to not have formal organisational structures in place. She talks abouts their struggles with remaining politcally neutral while becoming entangled in advocacy.

The case studies where what I found most interesting - e.g. their involvement in South Africa in the early 2000s with getting HIV treatment widely available (and being a major player in convincing the government at the time to stop pretending the AIDS epidemic didn’t exist).

A good read if you’re interested in the work of MSF

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have so much respect for the people who choose to work in humanitarian aid so I'm always looking for books on the subject. This is the second book I've picked up about Doctor's Without Borders, and after getting to the halfway point it's going in my DNF stack. It's not necessarily because it's bad, if you are looking for something covering the logistical side of establishing and keeping a non-profit organization functioning while navigating the intricacies of foreign policy then this will most certainly interest you. I was hoping for something with more firsthand stories from the people on the ground. The heart and the heartbreak of aid work is what this book doesn't have. I don't think that was ever what this book was trying to be so I can't say I feel entitled to be particularly mad about it. The part of me who hates not finishing books wanted to power through with this one, but the part of me who needs reading material that won't put me to sleep on my lunch break won out in the end.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me some information about the founding of MSF & some early projects but not exactly what I was looking for. That book may not be out there.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. I was hoping to learn more about the founders and how their vision emerged from the tumult of the sixties. I don’t have much understanding of Europe in the sixties

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sociologist's take on MSF as an organization. It provides some interesting insight at times, however the book feels quite disjointed and random, since it follows through the author's experiences with MSF. The section on the history of MSF emphasizes the expulsion of MSF Greece from the movement, while the authors field experiences draw entirely from visits to MSF projects in South Africa and a colleague's visit to projects in Russia. Although not uninteresting, they don't provide great insight into MSF as a movement or organization.

[Alex Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting read and experience learning about the growing pains and ethical issues of humanitarian aid. It's so easy to glorify their missions to the world but another to criticize. With this being said, self-criticizing is an important assessment needed for quality improvement both on an individual level as well as the institutional level.

[Julia]

Read up to p. 158