Neoliberal turns in global humanitarian governance: corporations, celebrities and the construction of the entrepreneurial refugee woman
(2021) In Journal of Humanitarian Affairs 2(3).- Abstract
- In this article we seek to extend recent debates on how the promotion of self-reliance through vocational training and entrepreneurship has become the new neoliberal mantra among refugee-supporting agencies, policymakers and humanitarian actors. More specifically, we do so in the context of corporate and celebrity-endorsed humanitarian partnerships and initiatives that single out refugee women and girls. Informed by postcolonial feminist scholarship and guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘what is the problem represented to be’ (WPR) approach we compare IKEA’s partnership with the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in Jordan and Angelina Jolie’s support for the RefuSHE project in Kenya. While differences between the two problem representations exist, both... (More)
- In this article we seek to extend recent debates on how the promotion of self-reliance through vocational training and entrepreneurship has become the new neoliberal mantra among refugee-supporting agencies, policymakers and humanitarian actors. More specifically, we do so in the context of corporate and celebrity-endorsed humanitarian partnerships and initiatives that single out refugee women and girls. Informed by postcolonial feminist scholarship and guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘what is the problem represented to be’ (WPR) approach we compare IKEA’s partnership with the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in Jordan and Angelina Jolie’s support for the RefuSHE project in Kenya. While differences between the two problem representations exist, both initiatives seek to empower refugee women by activating latent entrepreneurial abilities. These, we conclude, reinforce a saviour/saved humanitarian logic while also obscuring the gender division of responsibilities and precarious nature of artisanal labour. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/168a7aa2-7fb7-4976-867b-799458183f0c
- author
- Bergman Rosamond, Annika LU and Gregoratti, Catia LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-03-04
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Journal of Humanitarian Affairs
- volume
- 2
- issue
- 3
- publisher
- Manchester University Press
- ISSN
- 2515-6411
- DOI
- 10.7227/JHA.048
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 168a7aa2-7fb7-4976-867b-799458183f0c
- date added to LUP
- 2020-11-09 13:15:15
- date last changed
- 2021-03-08 14:24:10
@article{168a7aa2-7fb7-4976-867b-799458183f0c, abstract = {{In this article we seek to extend recent debates on how the promotion of self-reliance through vocational training and entrepreneurship has become the new neoliberal mantra among refugee-supporting agencies, policymakers and humanitarian actors. More specifically, we do so in the context of corporate and celebrity-endorsed humanitarian partnerships and initiatives that single out refugee women and girls. Informed by postcolonial feminist scholarship and guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘what is the problem represented to be’ (WPR) approach we compare IKEA’s partnership with the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in Jordan and Angelina Jolie’s support for the RefuSHE project in Kenya. While differences between the two problem representations exist, both initiatives seek to empower refugee women by activating latent entrepreneurial abilities. These, we conclude, reinforce a saviour/saved humanitarian logic while also obscuring the gender division of responsibilities and precarious nature of artisanal labour.}}, author = {{Bergman Rosamond, Annika and Gregoratti, Catia}}, issn = {{2515-6411}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{03}}, number = {{3}}, publisher = {{Manchester University Press}}, series = {{Journal of Humanitarian Affairs}}, title = {{Neoliberal turns in global humanitarian governance: corporations, celebrities and the construction of the entrepreneurial refugee woman}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.7227/JHA.048}}, doi = {{10.7227/JHA.048}}, volume = {{2}}, year = {{2021}}, }