ABSTRACT
The use of the term ‘humanitarianism’ has become increasingly common in the 1990s particularly in the context of crisis. It has indeed become ordinary to hear the term ‘humanitarian’ in the international news coverage at, for instance, BBC and CNN. Accordingly, the term is conceptually well acknowledged, yet, contrary to the wide recognition of the term, humanitarian actions or activities in practice in recent years led to some controversies. This is, to some extent, explained by the fact that the major interpretation of the term is being considered as culturally specific owing to the reliance on major political theories and philosophical debates developed in Western countries. In order to understand how the dominant discourse interprets the term and what alternative discourses have been developed, this chapter explores the literature on the concept, theories and research on key issues relevant to this study.
