Reimagining Humanitarianism and Refugee Research: Decolonisation or Symbolic Gesture?

We come to the question of the extent to which the decolonisation of humanitarianism and refugee-related research is meaningful or tokenistic, and to what effect, as two co-authors from different backgrounds, contexts and upbringings. In this article, we present three points for consideration for practitioners and scholars engaging with critical humanitarian and refugee-related research based on our experiences. First, we propose that decolonial discourse has become co-opted but remains a catalyst for more significant conversations. Second, we argue that most scholarship that seeks to decolonise aid is not being generated by people who are at the margins, despite these people having lived experience of forced displacement. Third, we call on practitioners and researchers working in the field of critical humanitarian studies, and wider refugee research more broadly, to move towards what can be conceptualised as ‘constructive complicity’. This means ceding and redistributing power. As academics, aid practitioners and teachers, we wear multiple hats and put forward ideas to address issues we see in refugee-related research. However, we recognise that there is a need for a plurality of voices, contestations and critiques; our ideas are ever-changing, and we write this in the spirit of welcoming further conversation.