Past Events

This event brought together speakers from MSF and HCRI t to discuss and debate the issues raised in this bold new book.

HCRI hosted this free public screening of the film Human Terrain which was followed by an expert panel discussion, Q&A, and a drinks reception

This seminar explored disability and rehabilitation during war and humanitarian crises. Keynote speaker, Antony Duttine, Rehabilitation and Advocacy Officer for Handicap International lead this event which had a particular focus on Afghanistan and sub-Saharan Africa.

This lecture celebrated a pioneering collaboration between The University of Manchester (via HCRI) and The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) which will see us deliver practical and affordable online postgraduate teaching in global health to the humanitarian sector around the world.

Dr. Alex de Waal supported an informal and candid discussion on his experiences of conducting research in areas affected by violence, conflict and natural disasters. Drawing on his breadth of experience in researching war, famine and disease across several African states, Prof de Waal explored the ethical, methodological and political issues with which researchers are confronted.

Alex de Waal is Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at Tufts University. During 2009-11 he served as senior advisor to the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and Program Director at the Social Science Research Council. His academic research has focused on issues of famine, conflict and human rights in Africa.

BWPI, HCRI, and IDPM hosted the inaugural Tri-Institute Lecture on 13 October 2011 "Evidence Based Peacekeeping in Darfur" delivered by internationally renowned guest speaker Alex de Waal.

Film footage to follow

Alex de Waal is Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at Tufts University. During 2009-11 he served as senior advisor to the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and Program Director at the Social Science Research Council. His academic research has focused on issues of famine, conflict and human rights in Africa.

BWPI, HCRI and IDPM are leading centres of research and teaching at The University of Manchester. Working in the closely related fields of poverty, conflict and development, they explore and analyse the complex and difficult areas of inequality, peace and progress. This lecture is the first in a series of such events and aims to provide a forum in which these issues can be considered and discussed.

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A joint workshop delivered by HCRI and Peace Studies, University of Bradford, this event explored the interaction of non-western donors (including but not exclusive to BRIC) and local aid recipients through case study examples and critical engagement with the concept of 'hybridity'. Recent work on hybridity has focused on the interaction of liberal peace interventions and local realities - this workshop sought to expand and apply this to include an analysis of non-western donors in war-torn and fragile states to further "conceptualise" the 'variable geometry' of peace". Led by Dr Jen Peterson (HCRI) and Dr Mandy Turner (Peace Studies, Bradford), guest speakers included Dr  Roger Mac Ginty and Dr Stefanie Kappler (St Andrews), Drs Macaulay, Lewis and Buxton (Peace Studies, Bradford), Dr. Ayla Göl (Aberystwyth) and Dr. Eli Stamnes (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs).

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Organised by MA students this conference addressed the most important current and widely debated issues faced by academics and practitioners in the field of humanitarianism. Speakers included HCRI's Director Dr Rony Brauman and Executive Director Prof Bertrand Taithe, who were joined by Dr Hugo Slim (CforC and University of Oxford), Dr Christopher Cushings (University of Bradford) and Dr Stephen Hopgood (SOAS University of London). Panel discussions were complemented by group work sessions on disaster response.

View programme - conference report and slides to follow

Following on from previous HCRI-ESRC seminars including ‘Who are the humanitarians now?’ and ‘Conflict, intervention and the politics of knowledge’ this interdisciplinary seminar addressed key issues relating to population movement and displacement in the modern world. It reflected the fact that displacement arises not only from various kinds of disaster, including violent conflict, but can equally be grounded in modern aspirations and global opportunities. Key topics for discussion included: understanding the trajectories and narratives of ‘people on the move’ in different settings; encounters between refugees and non-refugees, the latter including humanitarian aid workers and other civil society actors; and the resources, material and non-material, that are available in different settings and which may indeed in some circumstances be the ultimate reason for displacement.

Chaired by Professor Peter Gatrell and Dr Tanja Müller, the seminar included a keynote presentation from Prof Peter Loizos, input from academics and practioners, and a drama workshop with refugees residing in the Manchester area.

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Areas affected by conflict invariably find themselves at the centre of practices of knowledge production as a vast array of experts attempt to understand and explain the situation whilst developing appropriate responses to alleviate suffering, mitigate tensions and search for peaceful solutions. Knowledge about the causes and consequences of conflict is produced through a variety of sources and this knowledge then informs and circumscribes possible responses to the conflict, enabling certain forms of intervention whilst rendering others unthinkable. Knowledge is also produced, circulated and disseminated through the training of those individuals and organisations intervening in the conflict, such as militaries, security personnel and NGOs. The transfer of knowledge from the international community to the local population forms another integral component of many interventions, with various organisations devising strategies aimed at developing the political, economic and social foundations for postconflict recovery (e.g. World Bank grants to community entrepreneurs, UNESCO education projects, human rights training, amongst numerous other examples).

Chaired by Drs Jenny Peterson and Alison Howell, with panel presentations from Dr John Heathershaw, Dr Vanessa Pupavac, and Professor Alan Smith, this conference brought together many PhD students and early career academics to reflect on these concepts.

Public film screening followed by post-film discussion.

View programme, papers and seminar report.

The ‘iconic’ status of Darfur raises important questions for how local, regional, national and international forces intersect to produce knowledge about complex events. Assessments of the Darfur crisis have been used to demand humanitarian intervention, to defend inaction, to campaign for legal redress and to justify political, social and military interventions. They have been produced by political campaign groups in the US, INGOs in Sudan, politicians in Khartoum and circulated within rebel groups in the Darfur region. They have fed into peace negotiations and arguably worked both to facilitate and stall their progress.

Chaired by Professor Steve Reyna with panels comprising Sudanese academics and leading practitioners, the seminar evaluated current understandings of the causes, consequences, and humanitarian interventions of the Darfurian situation roughly since 1980, with an emphasis on the current situation. Specifically, it sought to appraise prevailing historical and social science accounts of the causes and consequences of the conflict as well as evaluations of the efficacy of medical, political, and economic humanitarian interventions in the conflict.

HCRI's first public event. View programme and film footage

In the days following the earthquake in Haiti, the lead stories on our television screens changed tone. From the original focus on mass destruction and human suffering, the narrative shifted to the 'lootings' and civil violence, the undelivered supplies sitting at Port-au-Prince airport, and the problematic role of certain organizations such as the US military and church groups. Indeed, the story moved from a tale of vital needs to one of security and assistance malfunction.

With this in mind, this public seminar brought together influential speakers (including Professor Tony Redmond and Dr Rony Brauman) who have been involved in coordination and rescue efforts both in Haiti and from abroad to consider whether the above shift in focus was warranted.

View programme, slides, seminar report and film footage

In covening this seminar HCRI adopted a multi-disciplinary approach to the evaluation of humanitarian aid. Exploring previous and current approaches we reviewed what various assessments entail, what they were aiming to measure, and highlighted what these methodologies can reveal or conceal. Case studies were utilised to provide a context for discussions.

Chaired by HCRI Director Professor Tony Redmond, the programme included input from both theoreticians and practitioners.

View programme, slides, seminar report and film footage

There are many examples where agencies have been forced, required or felt compelled to leave a conflict or disaster zone – but efforts labelled by some as ‘humanitarian’ continue. Humanitarian and relief organisations question when they should keep working in spite of government obstacles, political pressure or manipulation of their effort. Similarly governments are increasingly asking when do international agencies overstep their remit.

This two-day event was chaired by Rony Brauman, Director of the HCRI, ex President of MSF, and Director of Research at the MSF Foundation in Paris. It offered a platform to articulate and debate these challenges and involved practitioners and scholars of contemporary and historical humanitarian crises. The seminar included keynote speeches, research papers and master classes and was aimed at students, practitioners and academics with an interest in humanitarianism and contemporary conflict.