Discourse in Yemen : a humanitarian narrative and the shaping of state identity

Abstract

This paper aims to problematize how humanitarian aid organizations communicate on countries in conflict and how this communication may affect the perception of the state’s identity. It is centered around three questions which I have interrogated as part of my job with UNICEF Middle East and North Africa’s communication office. It begins with a reflective account of the job experience to put the questions in context followed by a brief background of the Yemen conflict. First, it problematizes discourse and its role in shaping identities. It looks at discourse analysis as a methodology and delves into discussions on choice of emotive words, categorizations, the framing of the conflict, use of data and visual products used by UNICEF to communicate on the conflict while adhering to its humanitarian principles and maintaining its relationships with donors. Second, it seeks to better understand the responsibility that organizations like UNICEF carry in alleviating suffering through a genealogy of care and humanitarianism. While ‘care’ was once seen as a state activity towards its citizens, it evolves into non-state action in times of emergencies when states are unable to provide basic public services. Third and based on the discourse of UNICEF on Yemen, this paper aims to deconstruct the reasons behind the uses of categories such as ‘weak’ and ‘failed’ states. It moves through a pattern of: how do we speak? Why do we speak as humanitarians? And how does our narrative shape the subject of our discourse?