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On Human Shielding

Objective

OHS aims to examine the history and contemporary politics of human shielding. In international humanitarian law (IHL) and military manuals, human shielding generally refers to the deployment of civilians to deter attacks on combatants or military sites. The dramatic intensification of urban warfare during the last decades and the growing “weaponization” of human bodies in contemporary warfare inevitably entail that civilians are increasingly caught in the front lines of the fighting, while the traditional distinction between civilians and combatants in international law is constantly blurred. Accusations of using civilians as human shields and thus as illegitimate instruments of military protection, coercion or deterrence have recently multiplied. OHS will investigate how the phenomenon of human shielding is transforming the category of civilian in war by pursuing two major objectives: 1) offer a historical-legal investigation of human shielding; and 2) identify and theorize the various forms of human shielding utilized in current theatres of violence. First, I aim to outline the development of the human shield category in IHL, tracing the historical events and the legal debates that during the nineteenth and twentieth century led to the consolidation of this category. Second, after this historical-legal reconstruction, I aim to identify, map and theorize the various forms of human shielding in order to improve our understanding of the diverse situations in which human shielding practices appeared in recent conflict zones—for instance Syria, Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, Nigeria—and the way they shape our understanding of war and contemporary political violence. I hypothesize that the different kinds of human shields operate in distinct ways and serve radically different military and political purposes. OHS will produce innovative knowledge on contemporary conflicts and contribute to the EU’s understanding of its IHL and human rights obligations.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panel

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2015

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Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 195 454,80
Address
OLD COLLEGE, SOUTH BRIDGE
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom

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Region
Scotland Eastern Scotland Edinburgh
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 195 454,80
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