Struggles over value, access and positionality: Differentiated dis/association agency in humanitarian aid

Abstract

Unequal relational dynamics shape struggles over value, access and positionality across geographies. The inclusion of Global South-based actors in, and their exclusion from, ‘the global’ is strengthened by practices of dis/association that simultaneously highlight positive matters and hide negative ones. Yet, the agency of the involved actors has received little conceptual or empirical attention. In this article, we address this limitation by exploring the relational dynamics between global and local humanitarian actors in disaster-affected areas. We develop a conceptual framework for differentiated dis/association agency, distinguishing between dis/associations mobilisation by international lead actors and utilisation by local actors. Empirically, we chronicle how humanitarian lead actors mobilise associations around ethical claims and dissociate unequal power dynamics and how a local business organisation in Vanuatu utilises such dis/associations as it aims to access the humanitarian system. Our study pinpoints the value of dis/association concepts beyond global production in socio-political relations.