Eleanor Davey

Eleanor has researched and taught humanitarian affairs in the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) at the University of Manchester. She has served on the Conseil Scientifique of the Fondation Croix-Rouge Française, the British Academy International Engagement Committee, and steering groups for HPG, Merlin, and Save the Children UK, as well as academic projects. Eleanor is also an Honorary Fellow of Australian Catholic University. She was a member of the Editorial Board of French Historical Studies from 2016-19 and, earlier, Editorial Assistant on Disasters journal.

Eleanor’s research explores histories of aid and activism, and how historical perspectives can inform current debates. Her book Idealism beyond Borders: The French Revolutionary Left and the Rise of Humanitarianism, 1954-1988 examined how ideas about responsibility for the suffering of others shaped political and humanitarian engagements in France, including the creation of Médecins Sans Frontières. It jointly received the International Studies Association Ethics Section Book Award for 2017. She has also published work on histories of international humanitarian law and other concepts of intervention, humanitarian engagements with anti-colonial armed groups, and aid in situations of displacement and confinement. In 2016 Eleanor received the Fondation Croix-Rouge Française Prix de Recherche.

Eleanor holds a PhD in history from Queen Mary, University of London, and a BA(Hons) from The University of Melbourne.