Saviourism, Post-Racialism, and Modernity

This chapter examines the way humanitarianism functions as a signature of modernity in the early twenty-first century. As a means of shedding the stigma of the white saviour complex, humanitarian NGOs increasingly reinforced the idea that humanitarianism models an ethic of colour-blindness. This included shifts towards more racially diverse representations of donors and volunteers by Western development NGOs, such as World Vision and Oxfam. The chapter argues that the performance of humanitarian care, as a post-racial ethic, is constructed as necessary in order to be seen as fully human or modern. Yet, a disturbing racial logic persists, including the construction of the humanitarian figure against depictions of the exotic other who is not-yet-modern. Further, the life narratives of prominent humanitarians such as Paul Farmer, Greg Mortenson, and James Orbinski reflect the malleability of whiteness; constructed as belonging in the spaces of humanitarian projects and as transcending whiteness, these men are presented as model humanitarians.