ABSTRACT
The delivery of medical assistance in any context is predicated on an understanding not only of clinically efficacious treatment options, but of the social, cultural and political factors that shape health and the experience of illness. This is particularly true of medical humanitarian programmes, which are delivered in a diversity of contexts worldwide, and must therefore adapt to continuously changing local realities.
Since the formation of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in 1971, humanitarian crises have changed substantially, as have the people affected by crises, the range of their medical and non-medical needs and the form of humanitarian action engaged in response. These changes have further amplified the importance of anthropology in the study and practice of humanitarian action.
This chapter outlines a series of the most pertinent contextual, population and organisational trends, in order to emphasise the role that anthropology can play in achieving a more balanced interaction between humanitarian actors and people affected by crises, in pursuit of a humanitarianism that is effective, dignified and sensitive to individual needs and experiences.
