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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
Public discourse narratives: from 'Secret Aid Worker' discontent to shifting power in humanitarian systems
Hannah Strohmeier1, Unni Karunakara2,3, Catherine Panter-Brick4,5
1Institute of International Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Public discourse is rich in meaning, reflecting consensus, dissent, and change. Yet, very little public discourse on the humanitarian sector has been authored by aid workers themselves. We conducted a thematic analysis of the 'Secret Aid Worker' (SAW) series, published in The Guardian newspaper between 2015 and 2018, the only corpus of data on humanitarian life experiences publicly accessible through mainstream media. Our research questions were twofold: how did authors frame their work and appraise humanitarian structures?; and how did they reflect and amplify humanitarian issues of the time? The main themes included: personal challenges of humanitarian life; characterisation of stakeholders; and systemic issues within the humanitarian sector. The SAW narratives reveal a powerful discourse of discontent. They planted seeds of change regarding shifting power, coloniality and racism, sexual abuse, and duty of care. We argue that such public discourse has symbolic power, calling for greater accountability, equity, and justice in remaking the future of the humanitarian sector.
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