Schuller, Mark — Killing with Kindness: Haiti, International Aid, and NGOs (2012) Source Information
Author: Mark Schuller (b. 1973), anthropologist and Haiti scholar
Full Title: Killing with Kindness: Haiti, International Aid, and NGOs
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Year: 2012
Foreword: Paul Farmer (Partners In Health founder, Haiti health advocate)
Type: Secondary Source — Anthropology, Development Studies, Ethnography
Location in Vault: research/secondary-sources/
Extracted Text: schuller killing kindness.txt Overview Scope: An anthropological critique of the NGO (non-governmental organization) industry in Haiti, examining how international aid perpetuates dependency, reinforces inequality, and undermines Haitian sovereignty. Central thesis: International aid to Haiti, despite good intentions ("kindness"), often does more harm than good ("killing") by:
Creating dependency on foreign aid
Undermining Haitian state capacity
Imposing foreign agendas over local needs
Reinforcing structural violence and inequality
Operating through paternalistic, neocolonial relationships Title significance: "Killing with Kindness" — the double meaning:
Literal: Aid sometimes causes harm (dependency, disempowerment)
Metaphorical: "Kind" intentions mask structural violence Research context: Fieldwork during political instability (2004 coup against Aristide) Dedication: "To Mislène" (presumably a Haitian collaborator/partner) Foreword: Paul Farmer (Partners In Health) — adds legitimacy from someone deeply involved in Haiti health work Structure Chapter Title Focus Intro Doing Research during a Coup Fieldwork context, methodology, 2004 coup
Ch 1 Violence and Venereal Disease: Structural Violence, Gender, and HIV/AIDS Structural violence framework, HIV/AIDS case study
Ch 2 "That's Not Participation!": Relationships from "Below" Haitian perspectives on NGO work, false participation
Ch 3 All in the Family: Relationships "Inside" Internal NGO dynamics, Haitian staff experiences
Ch 4 "We Are Prisoners!": Relationships from "Above" Power dynamics, donor-NGO-beneficiary hierarchy
Ch 5 Tectonic Shifts and the Political Tsunami: USAID and the Disaster of Haiti USAID policy, structural adjustment, political economy
Conclusion Killing with Kindness?