2023 Theses Bachelor's

“Solidarity Politics” in Calais, France: A Critique of the Humanitarian Aid Model

Harrington, Clara

On the Northern French border, 30 km across the English Channel, approximately 1,500 persons are living in Calais, France attempting to reach the UK. These settlements are neither recent nor temporary, but instead a product of the 30 year long EU border regime. Today, with no safe or legal routes to the UK, and no adequate housing options available in Calais, people on the move are currently forced to live in informal encampments and squats where they face constant police harassment and a scarcity of basic resources.

Over the past 30 years, a network of NGOs has emerged to provide a minimum level, but has done little in the way of changing the situation on the ground for people on the move. If anything, the humanitarian effort has created a stagnant status quo where the displaced people are victimized by an unyielding governmental border regime. Because of the apparent failure of the humanitarian approach, the activists and volunteers in this paper have departed from a humanitarian approach to work in the name of solidarity.

By turning away from humanitarianism and towards solidarity, these volunteers and activists see a potential role for their organizations to support the political rights and voices of the displaced groups as well as provide for the material needs that are necessary to cross borders. But this entanglement of humanitarian aid and solidarity is in constant tension, which begs the question: is solidarity work an effective alternative to humanitarianism in providing political and material support for people on the move in Calais, France?