The Paradoxes of Aid Work

This book explores the life worlds of people working in aid and analyses the processes that lead to the involvement in development cooperation, emergency relief and human rights work and what impact aid work has on the life-courses of aid workers, including their relationships with friends, family and partners. In order to capture the trajectories which lead to "Aidland" a biographical perspective is employed. Rich reflexive data allows the author to theorize about the often contradictory experiences of those involved in development cooperation, emergency relief and human rights work. The book addresses power relations not just between aid recipients and donors but also among aid personnel.