Project Description
Why and how do we undertake humanitarian actions? Why, for example, is Europe so quick and generous in its support of fleeing Ukrainians when it does everything to block non-European migrants from crossing into its territories? Is it because, as the governing pigs in George Orwell’s 1945 novel, Animal Farm, proclaim: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”? How did we get to and how do we explain the kind of thinking that sees some humans as superior and others as inferior? Who deserves to be helped? Who doesn’t? Where is the ‘human’ in humanitarianism? This is a new research project I hope will culminate in a monograph. One of the chapters of said monograph will examine the life and work of two Western humanitarians who lived, worked, and died in Equatorial Africa during the first half of the twentieth century: Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), a native of Franco-German Alsace and William McCutchan Morrison (1867-1918), an 1887 graduate of Washington and Lee University’s school of law, and a Rockbridge, Virginia native. Through this immersive work, students will hone their research skills and further their knowledge about humanitarianism as a global concept and practice.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites necessary.
Special Comments
No requirements other than enthusiasm and willingness to engage challenging questions.
Project Information (subject to change)
Estimated Start Date: 6/2/2025
Estimated End Date: 7/11/2025
Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks
Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3
Research Location: Hybrid
Contact Information: Mohamed Kamara (email: kamaram@wlu.edu)