Symbolic Approach to Humanitarian Action

Diego Fernandez Otegui is an Assistant Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management at the University of Central Missouri. He was born in Argentina in 1974, and is an experienced humanitarian practitioner. He participated in missions in several countries, including East Timor, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, and Mozambique. He is also an acclaimed scholar. He received his Ph.D. in Disaster Science and Management from the University of Delaware. He has published in top scientific and academic journals and lectured at numerous conferences worldwide, including in the Netherlands, Korea, Ethiopia, India, and Mexico. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Humanitarian Studies Association and is the US Representative for the University Network of the Americas for Disaster Risk Reduction. In his private practice, he is an international consultant, CEO of the Imara International Humanitarian Group, and Executive Director of the Imara Foundation. He currently lives in the United States with his wife and seven years old daughter. He plays the guitar, enjoys running and swimming, and is a member of the United Methodist Church.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Humanitarian Convergence.- 3. Relational Humanitarianism.- 4. Institutional Humanitarianism.- 5. The Symbolic Response to Disasters.- 6. A New Vision of Humanitarian Action.