Description

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Saving the Children analyzes the intersection of liberal internationalism and imperialism through the history of the humanitarian organization Save the Children, from its formation during the First World War through the era of decolonization. Whereas Save the Children claimed that it was "saving children to save the world," the vision of the world it sought to save was strictly delimited, characterized by international capitalism and colonial rule. Emily Baughan's groundbreaking analysis, across fifty years and eighteen countries, shows that Britain's desire to create an international order favorable to its imperial rule shaped international humanitarianism. In revealing that modern humanitarianism and its conception of childhood are products of the early twentieth-century imperial economy, Saving the Children argues that the contemporary aid sector must reckon with its past if it is to forge a new future.

About the Author

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Emily Baughan is Lecturer in Modern British History at the University of Sheffield.

Praise For…

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"This exceptionally comprehensive, beautifully written and ambitious book provides an intellectual history of liberal internationalism, British humanitarianism, empire and welfare in the first half of the twentieth century."

— Ethnic and Racial Studies

"Baughan tells this story compellingly, skillfully weaving a wealth of archival sources, from over thirty archives from many different countries, while never losing a sense of the bigger picture and relevance of the research for the wider world. The result is thought-provoking and will surely be influential."
— Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

"A joy to read. . . .essential…for those interested in the history of child welfare, the history of childhood during wartime, and children’s evacuation processes in the early twentieth century."
— Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth

"Emily Baughan’s dense and fascinating Saving the Children: Humanitarianism, Internationalism, and Empire is an outstanding contribution…for its thorough research, its critical approach, and its geographical and chronological reach."
— American Historical Review