Our Book of the Month choice for August

The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection that has been chosen by one of our Subject Consultants. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.

 

Rethinking humanitarian intervention in the 21st Century

edited by Aiden Warren and Damian Grenfell

Edinburgh University Press, 2018

Shelfmark: JZ6369.RET 2018

 

 

Our Book of the Month choice for August has been selected by Sarah Rhodes, the Subject Consultant for International Development and Forced Migration.

 

Why was it chosen?

It was chosen to tie in with World Humanitarian Day (19th August).

Book Overview

Since the end of the Cold War, humanitarian interventions have continued to evolve and respond to a wide range of political crises. These insightful essays focus on the challenges associated with interventions when facing conflict and human rights violations, unmitigated systematic violence, state re-building, human mobility and dislocation. Each chapter is linked to the rest through three defining themes that permeate the book: the evolution of humanitarian interventions in a global era; the limits of sovereignty and the ethics of interventions; and the politics of post-intervention: (re)-building and humanitarian engagement.  The authors incorporate a variety of case studies including Kosovo, Timor-Leste, Syria, Libya and Iraq, and examine the complexity of interventions across their different dimensions, including relevant doctrines such as R2P, ‘Use of Force’ and Human Security

Reviews:

“This rigorous multi-disciplinary volume redefines interventions as attempts at social transformation related to different domains (economic, social, military, humanitarian) and actors (local, national, regional, international), resulting in a much appreciated call to scholars, students and practitioners to study and think of interventions as complex, inter-related, multi-faceted, multi-level political and social processes. The emphasis on local contexts, actors, institutions and power relations as defining factors for understanding the dynamics and outcomes of interventions makes this book a valuable contribution to the literature.”

Liesbet Heyse, University of Groningen

Where can I find it?

We have one normal loan copy of the book. It is currently located on top of our New Books Display Area (located around the corner from our Library Issue Desk). You are welcome to remove it from the display to take a look at it or borrow it (if you have lending permissions). The shelfmark for the title is JZ6369.RET 2018

We also have an electronic legal deposit copy of the title. Online access for this material is restricted to library computers in any of the Bodleian Libraries. A link to it can be found on SOLO.

What would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.

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