Engaging with Theological Reflection to Strengthen Humanitarian Response

Abstract

Theological reflection —particularly regarding the experience of forced migrants themselves—is largely absent from current humanitarian discourse. Framing the experience of exile and the provision of welcome in religious terms is consistent with many faith traditions. However, the coloniality of humanitarian discourse typically serves to disempower these authentic local accounts of experience. Privatization, marginalization, and instrumentalization of religion do not simply serve to insulate humanitarian programming from religious influence but also to undermine the legitimacy and authority of the reasoning and reflection of people of faith in contexts of humanitarian crisis. The theological imaginary, in particular that formed in contexts of migration and marginalization, is a potentially powerful source of insights to challenge the current conceptualization of humanitarian assistance to refugee communities.