This article focuses on Syrian-refugee self-reliance and humanitarian efforts meant to foster it in Halba, northern Lebanon. I argue that humanitarian livelihood programming is ‘neo-cosmetic’, as the skills refugees acquire through humanitarian programmes turn out to be little more than a cosmetic accessory. While the humanitarian apparatus deliberately limits its action in order not to challenge host economies, the acquired skills do not practically enhance refugees’ possibility to be employed. Instead, refugee self-reliance is reconfigured as the ‘inter-ethnic promotion of host stability’. Relatedly, I propose that the aim of implementing social cohesion in multi-ethnic areas reveals a new ethnicization of care within the humanitarian system. Within this framework, the citizen practice of running hardware stores on a permanent basis coexists with the temporariness of refugee livelihood practices. Lastly, I rethink social membership in a refugee–host setting by adopting a practice-based approach to the research subjects in an effort to challenge the ethnic definitions of social groups and other pre-established forms of belonging.

中文翻译：

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迈向新化妆品的人道主义主义：难民的自力更生是黎巴嫩哈尔巴的一种社会凝聚力制度

本文重点介绍旨在在黎巴嫩北部哈尔巴（Halba）培育叙利亚难民的自力更生和人道主义努力。我认为，人道主义生计方案是“新化妆品”，因为难民通过人道主义方案获得的技能实际上只是装饰性的东西。虽然人道主义机构故意限制其行动，以不挑战东道国经济，但获得的技能实际上并没有增加难民被雇用的可能性。取而代之的是，将难民的自力更生配置为“促进族裔稳定的族裔间融合”。与此相关的是，我认为，在多民族地区实施社会凝聚力的目标揭示了人道主义系统内护理的新种族化。在这个框架内，公民永久经营五金店的做法与难民生计做法的临时性并存。最后，我通过对研究对象采取基于实践的方法来重新思考难民收容环境中的社会成员身份，以挑战社会群体的种族定义和其他预先建立的归属形式。