Journal of International Humanitarian Action - Call for Papers

Humanitarian Technology

Journal of International Humanitarian Action welcomes submissions to the thematic series on 'Humanitarian Technology'.

Humanitarian actors have always adopted and adapted technology to improve aid delivery and protection practices. What is of particular interest to us – and what we believe merits specific attention – is not only what technology does for but also to humanitarian action.

With this specific focus on ‘humanitarian technology’ we do not mean to suggest that certain technologies are humanitarian / or inherently benign. As editors, we argue for the need to pay greater attention to the kinds of technologies that various humanitarian actors make use of – including questions about how and why some of these technologies may not necessarily be ‘humanitarian’, e.g. because of how their application may risk exposing crisis affected individuals and communities to various kinds of insecurity.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• The role and place of humanitarian principles with respect to humanitarian technology
• Humanitarian ethics and technology
• How technology changes and challenges humanitarian action
• Humanitarian data and responsible data management
• Humanitarian actors use of ‘state security technologies’
• Biometrics in refugee management, food aid and medical humanitarianism
• Cybersecurity challenges in the humanitarian space
• Humanitarian drones
• Humanitarian robotics
• The challenges of adopting and adapting specific technologies for the humanitarian sector (3D printers, IoT)
• The relationship between humanitarian technology uses and refugee identity, safety and security
• The relationship between humanitarian technology uses and donor demands
• The role of technology in shaping the relationship between humanitarianism and state security