Emeritus Professor Roger Zetter has written an obituary for Barbara Harrell-Bond, published yesterday in The Guardian.
He writes of how she transformed humanitarian practice (the ‘humanitarian industry’ as she called it) from “its paternalistic and self-justifying modes of action”. Her book Imposing Aid, he says, delivered a devastating critique of the humanitarian regime and fundamentally changed how humanitarian organisations worked.
He ends, “Countless people benefited from Barbara’s skill in developing their testimonies and her advocacy for their claims for refugee status. Millions more who do not know her name will benefit from her relentless efforts to create ways of treating refugees humanely.”
Read the obituary here >>
BBC Radio 4's programme Last Word also remembers Barbara Harrell-Bond in the episode on Sunday 22 July, featuring contributions from Roger Zetter and Laura Hammond of SOAS.
The Financial Times has also published an obituary.