Doctoral Fellow, 2009-10 | Department of Political Science

Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto.

Andrea is currently completing her dissertation on the relationship between moral obligation and sovereignty. Using a genealogical method, her dissertation undertakes a critical history of the idea of humanitarianism by posing the following question: what are the boundaries of moral obligation in an international system that is organized by the principle of sovereignty, and how have these boundaries been historically constituted? The dissertation investigates the historical relationship between sovereignty and moral obligation, and contributes to ongoing debates about the complicated – and oftentimes contradictory – role of humanitarianism in international relations. The objective is both to problematise common assumptions about the purposes, methods, and outcomes of humanitarianism, and to historicise a concept that is often only understood in contemporary terms. It contributes to new scholarship in international relations by examining the historical dimensions of the relationship between sovereignty and humanitarianism. It also speaks to important policy debates, such as about the merits and pitfalls of humanitarian intervention or other actions justified by “humanitarianism”, by exposing their rationale to critical scrutiny and by revealing the historical contingencies and power dynamics underlying contemporary practices. By placing these debates in a wider historical context, she argues that the principle of sovereignty and its varying construction over time has contributed not only to the formation of the state as a particular form of political community, but also legitimized the construction of certain moral boundaries. Her dissertation contains historical case studies on French Huguenot refugees in England during the 16th century, the 19th century British abolitionist movement, and contemporary debates about humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect. Her broader research interests lie in the history and philosophy of human rights, religion and politics, and international health.

Andrea completed a BA in History at the University of British Columbia, and received her MA in History from the Collaborative Masters in International Relations program at the University of Toronto. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). She has presented papers at the International Studies Association, the Standing Group on International Relations of the European Consortium for Political Research, and is a participant in an ongoing series of workshops on the relationship between humanitarianism and religion.