The State in Relief

Description

In March 2019, one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in the southern hemisphere to date wreaked havoc across several African countries. In Malawi, Cyclone Idai affected more than one million citizens directly.

In this vivid ethnography, Tanja D. Hendriks details the decisions and dilemmas of Malawian civil servants in disaster response efforts after Idai. In a context in which relief has become routine, she explores how district-based public officials managed numerous and competing demands placed on them by colleagues, citizens, chiefs, humanitarians and donors. With the state initially appearing incompetent, ill-equipped or even irrelevant, she shows how aid interventions throw the state itself into relief, and render visible civil servants’ sense of duty, while also revealing the challenges facing central government.

Disputing Afropessimist narratives that depict African states as negligent or unable to care for their citizens, Hendriks reveals how the aid-dependent Malawian state remains crucial to disaster governance despite chronic resource scarcity and limited capacity. Contributing to the anthropology of bureaucracy and the state, the book underlines that disasters are neither natural nor isolated events, and offers a novel perspective on disaster relief interventions, state–citizen relations and sovereignty in the Anthropocene.

Reviews

‘A nuanced portrayal of how resource-limited Malawian civil servants respond to natural disasters with extraordinary commitment. Drawn from detailed ethnographic work, this is essential reading for scholars, research students and practitioners interested in the intersection of humanitarian aid and public administration.’ — Boniface Dulani, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Malawi, and Director of Surveys, Afrobarometer

‘A richly ethnographic insight into the work of responding to disasters. Well written and clearly argued, and with original and rigorous research, this is a timely and important contribution.’ — Jessica Johnson, Associate Professor in Social Anthropology and African Studies, University of Birmingham, and author of Malawi: Enduring Concerns and New Directions

‘The State in Relief asks why an impoverished state like Malawi’s still matters when it cannot fuel its own jeeps. Through two compelling civil servants, it delivers incisive insights on sovereignty and statecraft. A must-read for anthropologists of the state.’ — Anouk de Koning, Professor of Political Anthropology, University of Amsterdam

‘Engaging and insightful, this book is about the state, the power, the humanitarianism—but more importantly about the people—that do their best in a disaster context, despite and not because of their sense of duty. It is about the decisions, dilemmas and everyday violence that go unnoticed when disaster is not newsworthy.’ — Ksenia Chmutina, Professor of Disaster Studies, Loughborough University

‘Hendriks excels in detailing backstage dynamics, closed meetings with partners, and the frontlines of often fraught encounters with aid recipients. Few ethnographies capture so deeply and vividly the work routines of civil servants. That the context is Malawi, a critical case in making sense of unfolding climate-change challenges, only adds interest to what is an impressive contribution from start to finish.’ — José-María Muńoz, Senior Lecturer in African Studies and International Development, University of Edinburgh

‘An original and insightful account of disaster governance that brings the everyday work of civil servants into sharp focus. This timely book offers an important contribution to understanding the complex realities of statehood, humanitarian action and disaster response in Malawi and beyond.’ — Stern Mwakalimi Kita, Assistant Professor in Integrated Emergency Management and Business Continuity, Rabdan Academy

Author(s)

Tanja D. Hendriks is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs and a research affiliate with the African Studies Centre Leiden at Leiden University. With a background in cultural anthropology, development studies and African studies, her ethnographic research focuses on state bureaucracy, development and disasters in Malawi.