The Humanitarian Leader

The international humanitarian aid sector is struggling to meet the increasing demands driven by displacement, protracted emergencies, new conflicts, and the climate crisis. Recent funding cuts make it even harder to respond to those needs, sparking renewed calls for a system transformation. Accompanying the humanitarian sectors’ expansion, growing complexity and ongoing reform process, has been the recent emergence of Humanitarian Studies as an academic field of scholarship. This is reflected in the proliferation of humanitarian-titled and focused degree programs, journals, and research initiatives, particularly visible in the Global North.

This paper explores what Humanitarian Studies contribute to humanitarian aid and the sector – including its ongoing reform. Recently published research findings show that Humanitarian Studies play a key role in providing humanitarian education and generating humanitarian research relevant to humanitarian policy and practice. However, Humanitarian Studies could be much more inclusive, critical and interdisciplinary. Access to Humanitarian Studies degree programs needs to be expanded, and Humanitarian Studies education needs to be much more contextualised. In addition, Humanitarian Studies research outputs need to be more accessible and practical for humanitarian work.