ABSTRACT

This article examines the experience of Congolese humanitarians negotiating access with armed groups in eastern DRC. It describes how humanitarians become shapeshifters: they play different roles for different audiences as a tactic of social navigation in a context of uncertainty. Because humanitarians encounter risks related to their perceived identity, they play upon identity categories and personal histories, situating themselves tactically during encounters with different armed actors through creative modes of self-fashioning. Whilst there remains a focus on performing a distinct humanitarian identity, NGOs in practice draw upon the embedded local knowledge and skills of employees to work in conflict areas.

摘要

本文探讨了刚果人道主义者与刚果民主共和国东部武装团体谈判准入的经验。它描述了人道主义者如何成为变形者：他们在不确定的背景下为不同的受众扮演不同的角色，作为一种社会导航策略。由于人道主义者遇到与他们感知到的身份相关的风险，他们利用身份类别和个人历史，通过自我塑造的创造性模式在与不同武装行动者的遭遇中策略性地定位自己。尽管仍将重点放在表现出独特的人道主义身份上，但在实践中，非政府组织利用员工在当地的知识和技能在冲突地区工作。