Through the looking glass: Coloniality and mirroring in localisation

Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings

doi:10.21153/thl2022art1693

Authors

Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings Deakin University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/thl2022art1693

Keywords:

localisation, colonialisation, North Korea

Abstract

What assumptions underpin the concept of ‘localisation’ as employed by the mainstream, international humanitarian sector? This paper offers a partial answer to this multi-faceted question. It first considers the meaning(s), or lack thereof, of localisation. It presents coloniality and ‘mirroring’ as two concepts important to understanding the limitations of localisation. It then considers locally led aid in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea), using the example of the Eugene Bell Foundation (EBF). The paper argues that assumptions around the actors involved in local response, as well as assumptions around the existence of NGOs and the normative belief that non-state actors could and should play major roles in response, demonstrate the limits of localisation.

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Author Biography

Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, Deakin University

Nazanin is a Lecturer in Humanitarian Studies at Deakin University and the Associate Director of Research at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership. She earned her PhD in 2019 from the City University of Hong Kong. She holds a joint MA in International Humanitarian Action from Ruhr-Universität Bochum/Université catholique de Louvain, and an MA (Hons) in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh. Nazanin’s current research projects explore humanitarian aid in North Korea, humanitarian training and education, and transitional justice.

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