NGOs, Knowledge Production and Global Humanist Advocacy: The Limits of Expertise

231 Pages·2020·3.462 MB·English

by  Alistair Markland

NGOs, Knowledge Production and
Global Humanist Advocacy
NGOs, Knowledge Production and Global Humanist Advocacy is an empirically
and theoretically rich account of how international non-governmental organ-
isations produce knowledge of and formulate understandings about the world
around them.
The author applies critical and sociological perspectives to analyse the
social and political limits of knowledge generated in support of global ad-
vocacy efforts aimed at enhancing human rights and preventing violent con-
flicts. It is found that, despite their transnational networks and claims to
humanist universality, the proximity of global advocates to Western power
structures and elite social spaces delimits their worldviews and curtails the
potential for radical departures from mainstream political thinking.
This book will be of interest to scholars and students of international rela-
tions, human rights, the sociology of knowledge, peace and conflict studies,
and critical security studies.
Alistair Markland completed his doctorate at Aberystwyth University’s
Department of International Politics. He now teaches politics and inter-
national relations at Aston University’s School of Languages and Social
Science, UK. His research looks at the epistemic practices of transnational
actors, global advocacy efforts around violent conflicts, and technology and
human rights.
Worlding Beyond the West
Series Editors: Arlene B. Tickner, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia,
David Blaney, Macalester College, USA and Inanna Hamati-Ataya,
Cambridge University, UK
Historically, the International Relations (IR) discipline has established its
boundaries, issues, and theories based upon Western experience and tradi-
tions of thought. This series explores the role of geocultural factors, insti-
tutions, and academic practices in creating the concepts, epistemologies,
and methodologies through which IR knowledge is produced. This entails
identifying alternatives for thinking about the “international” that are more
in tune with local concerns and traditions outside the West. But it also im-
plies provincializing Western IR and empirically studying the practice of
producing IR knowledge at multiple sites within the so-called ‘West’.
17 Islam in International Relations
Politics and Paradigms
Edited by Nassef Manabilang Adiong, Raffaele Mauriello,
and Deina Abdelkader
18 China and International Theory
The Balance of Relationships
Chih-yu Shih et al.
19 Unravelling Liberal Interventionism
Local Critiques of Statebuilding in Kosovo
Edited by Gëzim Visoka and Vjosa Musliu
20 Naming a Transnational Black Feminist Framework
Writing in Darkness
K. Melchor Quick Hall
21 NGOs, Knowledge Production and Global Humanist Advocacy
The Limits of Expertise
Alistair Markland
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com
NGOs, Knowledge Production
and Global Humanist Advocacy
The Limits of Expertise
Alistair Markland
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2020 Alistair Markland
The right of Alistair Markland to be identified as author of
this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-24959-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-28517-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
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Contents
List of figures vii
Acknowledgements ix
List of abbreviations xi
1 Introduction: understanding the world through
humanist advocacy 1
2 Mapping the logics of knowledge production in global
advocacy 11
3 Advocacy in the knowledge market: organisational
legitimacy and the evolution of epistemic practice 34
4 The epistemic culture of global advocacy 76
5 The epistemic limits of global advocacy on post-war
Sri Lanka 123
6 Extracting knowledge: global advocates’ relations with
domestic actors in post-war Sri Lanka 156
7 Conclusion: embattled knowledge, contested expertise—
a bleak future for global humanist advocacy? 194
Appendix 203
Index 213

Figures
4.1 The most common organisations of prior employment
for full-time Amnesty International researchers or
campaigners, as a percentage of the sample total (N = 222) 83
4.2 The most common academic disciplines studied by full-time
research or advocacy staff working at the International
Crisis Group (bachelor’s degree or higher), as a percentage
of the sample size (N = 73) 89
4.3 The percentage of full-time research or advocacy staff at
Amnesty International (N = 222), Human Rights Watch
(N = 156) and the International Crisis Group (N = 80) that
have past experience working at intergovernmental
organisations 91
4.4 The percentage of full-time research or advocacy staff at
Amnesty International (N = 222), Human Rights Watch
(N = 156) and the International Crisis Group (N = 80) that
have past experience working as journalists or at media
organisations 93
4.5 The percentage of full-time research or advocacy staff
who hold doctorates at Amnesty International (N = 222),
Human Rights Watch (N = 156) and the International Crisis
Group (N = 80) 94
4.6 The percentage of full-time research or advocacy staff at
Amnesty International (N = 222), Human Rights Watch
(N = 156) and the International Crisis Group (N = 80) that
have prior experience working in government or civil service 95
4.7 The most common professional backgrounds of members
of the International Crisis Group’s board of trustees as a
percentage of the sample total, as measured by sector of
employment (N = 30) 96
4.8 The most common professional backgrounds of Human
Rights Watch board members as a percentage of the sample
total, as measured by sector of employment (N = 30) 99
viii Figures
4.9 The highest level of educational attainment (bachelor’s,
master’s and doctoral degrees) of Amnesty International
(N = 257), Human Rights Watch (N = 161) and the
International Crisis Group (N = 80) staff, as a percentage of
sample total 103
4.10 The percentage of full-time research and advocacy staff at
Amnesty International (N = 223), Human Rights Watch
(N = 155) and the International Crisis Group (N = 76)
educated at top-25-ranked academic institutions, as
measured by the Times Higher Education World University
Rankings (2018) 103
4.11 The percentage of full-time research or advocacy staff at
Amnesty International (N = 223), Human Rights Watch
(N = 155) and the International Crisis Group (N = 76) who
have gained educational qualifications (bachelor’s degree or
higher) from more than one country of study 107
6.1 The most frequently cited Sri Lankan media publications
across all full-length reports published by the Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch and the International
Crisis Group (May 2009 to January 2015) 162
6.2 Frequently cited Sri Lankan NGOs within Amnesty
International and International Crisis Group reports
(May 2009 to January 2015) 174
Acknowledgements
One of the core assertions of this book is that knowledge production is a
process that is dependent on a particular constellation of social influences.
Undeniably, this statement also rings true for this very research project.
First, I would like to extend my appreciation to the Economic and Social
Research Council (ESRC). The ambitious scope and empirically rich nature
of this research would not have been possible without the support of the ES-
RC’s +3 funding scheme that supported my doctoral studies at Aberystwyth
University.
I am also heavily indebted to my doctoral supervisors, Dr Berit Bliese-
mann de Guevara and Dr Inanna Hamati-Ataya. Their dedication to de-
veloping epistemics as an emerging sub-field within international studies is
an important backdrop to this book. Before moving to Birmingham, I was
lucky to be part of the broader research community at the Aberystwyth
University’s Department of International Politics, where there is a strong
intellectual engagement with the issue of knowledge production in Interna-
tional Relations. The opportunity to bounce ideas off colleagues there was
invaluable in the development of this project.
The research that lies behind this book involved substantial overseas field-
work, where I was fortunate to meet many dozens of engaged and passionate
individuals. I would like to thank all of the practitioners and activists in
London, New York, Washington DC and Sri Lanka who selflessly agreed to
meet and answer my queries regarding the functioning of global advocacy.
The empirical dimensions of this book are profoundly dependent on their
insights. In particular, I would like to acknowledge those activists based in
Colombo and Jaffna who gave up their time to speak to me, despite a linger-
ing climate of political risk and intimidation on this beautiful-yet-troubled
island.
Finally, I would like to extend my thanks to my parents for their love,
encouragement and faith in my ability to overcome this scholarly journey.
Alistair Markland
August 2019