Humanitarian Studies: New scientific network established at the University of Bayreuth   

International humanitarian aid faces enormous challenges. Crises are on the rise, financial resources are dwindling, and aid deliveries are increasingly coming under attack. The United States, Great Britain, and Italy have implemented massive cuts; the German government has also announced austerity measures. How can humanitarian aid become more efficient, fairer, and more professional?  In other countries, there is a separate field of science that investigates such questions: humanitarian studies. In Germany, however, humanitarian studies as a subject area is still in its infancy. There is great interest in and need for scientific analysis, but the supply is still low. Starting in 2026, the University of Bayreuth's Chair of African History (Prof. Dr. Joël Glasman), in collaboration with the Universities of Bochum (Prof. Dr. Dennis Dijkzeul) and Magdeburg (PD Dr. Kristina Roepstorff) and the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) in Berlin, will establish a "Humanitarian Studies Research Network" thanks to one million euros in funding from the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

Humanitarian studies is a field that investigates how crises arise, how they shape societies, and how they can be overcome – and they are able to offer scientifically sound criticism. 

The sub-project at the University of Bayreuth's Institute of African Studies (IAS) is dedicated to "indifference". The project is based on the assumption that social indifference to the suffering of others is historically generated – as a result of the long-term destruction of empathy. It examines the history of the destruction of humanitarian knowledge practices. The project combines philosophical debates on "bourgeois coldness", reification, invisibility, and "white apathy" with an empirically based look at concrete historical practices of destruction. "Humanitarian studies are also about engaging in a science that is socially relevant, in close exchange with aid organisations, and at the same time remains critical and independent," says Prof. Dr. Joël Glasman, Professor of History with a focus on Africa at the University of Bayreuth.

About the Gerda Henkel Foundation 

The Gerda Henkel Foundation was established in June 1976 by Lisa Maskell in memory of her mother Gerda Henkel as a foundation under civil law with legal capacity based in Düsseldorf.

 The Gerda Henkel Foundation provides funding for the historical humanities. Research that places current problems in a broader historical context or focuses specifically on contemporary and future-oriented topics is supported in temporary programmes, such as the special programme "Flight" or the funding priorities "Democracy" and "Lost Cities". The foundation supports young humanities scholars in Africa through the Lisa Maskell Scholarship Programme. Its "Patrimonies" funding priority focuses on preserving cultural heritage, particularly in crisis regions. In connection with funded projects, the foundation also provides funding for complementary social measures. The Gerda Henkel Foundation can pursue its objectives both in Germany and abroad. 

 The office currently oversees 1,991 ongoing projects, and in the nearly 50 years since the foundation was established, it has supported over 8,600 research projects worldwide with around 310 million euros.