International Officials in Geneva: The Burden of Privilege
Adly, Hossam
International Officials in Geneva: The Burden of Privilege - 2013.
94
In 1920, when the Society of Nations settled in Geneva, the image of its international officers was very positive. Today they are accused of being responsible for unaffordable housing in the city. Urban and economic town development went through a three-stage process resulting in the invention of “the international community” as a privileged urban minority. This population is heterogeneous in terms of nationality, gender, generation and/or position. How could it become a “community”? Symmetrically, how did international Officers come to consider themselves as a community based on their “common internationality”, making an “us” and “them” distinction with the “locals”? This ethnographic research within a un Agency is a contribution to an urban anthropological approach to cosmopolitan urban minorities.
International Officials in Geneva: The Burden of Privilege - 2013.
94
In 1920, when the Society of Nations settled in Geneva, the image of its international officers was very positive. Today they are accused of being responsible for unaffordable housing in the city. Urban and economic town development went through a three-stage process resulting in the invention of “the international community” as a privileged urban minority. This population is heterogeneous in terms of nationality, gender, generation and/or position. How could it become a “community”? Symmetrically, how did international Officers come to consider themselves as a community based on their “common internationality”, making an “us” and “them” distinction with the “locals”? This ethnographic research within a un Agency is a contribution to an urban anthropological approach to cosmopolitan urban minorities.
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