Through the looking glass: Coloniality and mirroring in localisation

Journal article

Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings
The Humanitarian Leader, 2022

DOI: 10.21153/thl2022art1693

Semantic Scholar DOI Link to article (Open Access)

Cite

APA Click to copy
Zadeh-Cummings, N. (2022). Through the looking glass: Coloniality and mirroring in localisation. The Humanitarian Leader. https://doi.org/10.21153/thl2022art1693

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Zadeh-Cummings, Nazanin. “Through the Looking Glass: Coloniality and Mirroring in Localisation.” The Humanitarian Leader (2022).

MLA Click to copy
Zadeh-Cummings, Nazanin. “Through the Looking Glass: Coloniality and Mirroring in Localisation.” The Humanitarian Leader, 2022, doi:10.21153/thl2022art1693.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{nazanin2022a,
  title = {Through the looking glass: Coloniality and mirroring in localisation},
  year = {2022},
  journal = {The Humanitarian Leader},
  doi = {10.21153/thl2022art1693},
  author = {Zadeh-Cummings, Nazanin}
}

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.