The quantification of needs
Joël Glasman
Combining historical research and ethnographic investigations, the Africanist historian Joël Glasman plunges us into the factory of the homo humanitarianus, the average individual, on the basis of which "needs" and aid projects today are assessed. This conversation took place on December 10th 2020, during a conference-debate at Crash.
How did humanitarian organisations come to describe and measure the suffering of victims using numerical indicators ? When did impartiality become synonymous with allocating aid on the basis of universally quantifiable, comparable and prioritised needs ? What are the power struggles, conflicts of interest and value at the origin of the "universal minimum standards" of the SPHERE project? How did a three-colored plastic bracelet, the MUAC, become one of the key instruments for measuring and qualifying the severity of a nutritional crisis?
These questions are central to the latest book by the Africanist historian Joël Glasman entitled Humanitarianism and the Quantification of the Human Needs. Minimal Humanity (Routledge Humanitarian Press, 2019). Combining historical research and ethnographic investigations, he immerses us in the factory of the homo humanitarianus, the average individual, on the basis of which "needs" and aid projects are assessed today. He told us about it on December 10th, 2020, during this conference and debate.
To cite this content :
Joël Glasman, “The quantification of needs”, 10 décembre 2020, URL : https://msf-crash.org/en/conferences-debates/quantification-needs
If you want to criticize or develop this content, you can find us on twitter or directly on our site.
ContributePast events
Rohingya refugees: what can MSF do?
04/04/2024 - 06:30 PM 08:30 PMOn Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 6:30pm, the CRASH team welcomed Emilie Medeiros, Eloïs Voisin and Raphaël Torlach for a conference/debate on the situation of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Attestation, an experiment of mass obedience
02/29/2024 - 06:00 PM 08:00 PMOn Thursday 29 February at 6.00pm, we welcomed sociologists Théo Boulakia and Nicolas Mariot, the authors of "L’Attestation. Une expérience d’obéissance de masse, printemps 2020".
Read moreMigratory deaths, missing persons and their identification
01/11/2024 - 06:30 PM 08:30 PMOn Thursday 11 January 2024 at 6.30pm, the CRASH team welcomed artist Rachid Koraïchi, forensic anthropologist Jose-Pablo Baraybar and anthropologists Filippo Furri and Silvia Di Meo for a round table discussion on missing and dead migrants and their identification.
The challenges and dead ends of delivering aid in government-held areas in Syria
12/06/2023 - 06:30 PM 08:30 PMCrash and iReMMO were pleased to invite you on Wednesday 6 December at 6.30pm to a round table discussion on the challenges, constraints, and limits of humanitarian aid in Syrian government zones.
The Sex Thieves: The Anthropology of a Rumor
05/09/2023 - 06:30 PM 08:30 PMWe were pleased to welcome anthropologist Julien Bonhomme, author of the book The Sex Thieves: The Anthropology of a Rumor for a conference and debate on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 at 18:30 (Paris time) at MSF (34 avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris).
Négocier avec le diable. La médiation dans les conflits armés
12/15/2022 - 05:30 PM 07:30 PMWe were pleased to welcome Pierre Hazan, author of the book Négocier avec le diable. La médiation dans les conflits armés for a conference and debate on Thursday December 15th, 2022, 18:30, at MSF (34 avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris). The conference was livestreamed and translated simultaneously to English.