The Humanitarians

Joy Damousi is Director of the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University.

• Introduction: The humanitarians: War refugee children, humanitarianism, and transnationalism; Part I. Saving: 1. Save the Children Fund in the Antipodes: Cecilia John, Meredith Atkinson and the paradox of child-saving politics; 2. The Australasian Orphanage at Antilyas: Near East Relief and American networks 1920s–1930; Part II. Evacuating: 3. Humanitarianism and child refugee sponsorship: The Spanish Civil War and Esme Odgers; 4. Campaigns to evacuate Jewish child refugees; 5. British child evacuees to Australia; 6. Aileen Fitzpatrick and reuniting Greek families separated by war; Part III. Assimilating and adopting: 7. Humanitarian rights: UN World Refugee Year and UNICEF in Australia; 8. Florence Grylls and Save the Children Fund: Humanitarianism in the assimilation era; 9. The campaign for Japanese–Australian children to enter Australia; 10. Humanitarian 'justice': Max Harris and the Australian Foster Parents Plan in Asia; 11. Humanitarian activism: The Vietnam War, Rosemary Taylor, Elaine Moir and Margaret Moses; Conclusion.

'Joy Damousi takes her readers on a captivating journey through the history of generations of Australian humanitarians and their relationships with child refugees. This brilliant, meticulously researched book brings new light to the shifting categories of humanitarianism and transnationalism and their political, moral, and emotional dimensions.' Bruno Cabanes, The Ohio State University