NWO- Engaging Europe in the Arab World: European missionaries and humanitarianism in the Middle East (1850-1970)

In cooperation with IEG Mainz (Leibniz Institute of European History) and IISMM Paris (Institute for the Studies of Islam et Muslim Societies)

From the mid-19th century until the 1970’s, the Middle East witnessed the presence of various European missionaries who played a fundamental role in the birth and the development of humanitarianism. Since these Christian missionaries were well integrated in the local Middle Eastern societies via their investment in health, they were the favourite intermediaries for foreign diplomats. This project seek to explore the points of contact between European ‘humanitarian diplomacy’ (praxis and law) and the missionaries.
Christian missions and humanitarianism played a foundational role in modern
European history and identity that has hitherto not been adequately acknowledged. At the same time, the notion of ‘humanitarianism’ is currently quite popular in political rhetoric and the media, even as a proper reflection on its origins is lacking. This project contributed to a historically grounded understanding of the roots of humanitarianism and its contemporary uses.

The first part of the project addressed the evolution of the profile of the missionaries and of their apostolate (rhetoric and ‘praxis’) towards humanitarianism, from the mid- 19th century crises to the 1970’s.
The second part focused on their active role in humanitarianism during specific Middle Eastern crises.
In the third and final part, relations between missionaries and humanitarianism were analysed in a wider comparative context via their networks.