Norbert Götz was born in Germany but has spent most of his academic career working in the Nordic countries. Following a period as a visiting researcher at the Institute for International Affairs in Stockholm, he worked for several years at the University of Helsinki, before returning to Sweden as professor at Södertörn University. Since 2026, he is professor of modern history at Linköping University.
“Over the past 10–15 years, much of my research hasĚýfocused on transnational humanitarian aid. I’m particularly interested in practical limitations of voluntary emergency aid and advocate a moral economy prespective on these issues. Humanitarian organisations have limited resources and can’t help everyone – the question is therefore what consequencesĚýmaterial constraintsĚýhave in practice and how the prioritisations implemented are justified and accounted for.”
In his research, he has analysed various humanitarian crises ranging from the Napoleonic Wars via the Great Irish Famine to the present day. In recent years, he has primarily researched the Biafra crisis, the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–70.
“I’ve focused on church aid from the Nordic countries; they were strong driving forces in the larger international relief network. Lutherhjälpen (Church of Sweden Aid) and its sister organisations in Denmark and Norway established a spectacular humanitarian airlift to Biafra. But even if it meant that supplies alleviated the distress of those suffering, it also prolonged the civil war, which was almost over, by a year and a half. Humanitarian aid fed both the starving population and the war. The well-intentioned moral imperative of immediately supplying enormous resources to the suffering people made the relief organisations blind to the consequences of their actions.”Ěý
Morality and economy
Karin Midner
In addition to humanitarian aid action, conceptual history is an important part of Norbert Götz’s research. His latest contribution in the field charts notions of moral economy across different historical periods, something that has now led to work as editor of a Handbook on the Moral Economy.
“In research, moral economy has long been associated with a paternalistic social contract, but nowadays the term is used more broadly. It’s often about how to reconcile values and non-profit goals with the material conditions in areas such as the welfare state, medical triage, humanitarian aid or the environment.”
What can history teach us about morality and economy?
“Historical experiences from humanitarian action show that morality and economy often interact; they are not two separate planets as our time likes to believe. Moral choices can shape economic decisions. And conversely, as resources are limited, economic constraints influence moral priorities. One example of this is when aid efforts prioritise children over adults, while from a moral perspective children may appear innocent in comparison with adults. In the long run, alleviation of suffering can also appear as a profitable or stabilising investment.”
One conclusion that Norbert Götz draws from his research on humanitarian aid is that it is important to critically examine ongoing crises and look beyond one’s own interests before providing assistance – humanitarians need to remove their blinders, recognise the actual needs and understand the broader consequences of their interventions. Through analyses of how morality and economy have intertwined in concrete historical situations, we can gain a deeper understanding of central driving forces of history.
At a time when many crises have a major impact in media and social channels – do we have to be rational rather than emotional?
“Yes, absolutely! It can feel good to react empathically to a powerful image and start a clothing collection for people who are freezing in a country where there is a war going on, or donate food and medicine. But my research confirms the view of the recipients and aid organisations that providing money is generally the best form of humanitarian aid. Cash transfers are flexible and involve relatively low overhead costs. Collecting, storing and transporting food, objects and clothing to the victims is inefficient compared to giving them money they can use to secure their livelihood locally. But it’s important to keep in mind that humanitarian neutrality in conflict situations is a beautiful ideal that is difficult to maintain in practice. Providing the right kind of aid during natural disasters is much easier.”
Folkhemmet and civil society
Karin Midner
But we return to Norbert’s interest in concepts, for example folkhemmet (a synonym of the Swedish welfare state) and civil society. Conceptual history perspectives are a recurring feature of his broad research into the role of language, the contestation of concepts, and the way in which terms are employed in political discourse.
“I’ve previously researched the classic folkhemmet era of the 1930s. The concept of folkhemmet is politicised and is nowadays associated with either forced sterilisations or a bygone time where everything seemed simple. It’s a very telling example that words are not innocent, they are used as rhetorical tools in current debates without regard to the practical role of the concept of folkhemmet had at the time it emerged.”Ěý
In the field of civil society, he has particularly focused on non-governmental organisations (NGOs), a conceptĚýwith a problematic history.
“Non-governmental organisation is a negative concept that describes what these organisations are not, instead of expressing what they are. My research has shown that the concept was coined at the UN Charter Conference precisely to mark the lower status of voluntary organisations in relation to states and to exclude them in official UN contexts.”
The professorship in modern history is funded by Catharina Högbom’s and Michael Cocozza’s foundation for research and culture in Linköping municipality. Its founder Michael Cocozza and his wife Catharina Högbom have donated a total of SEK 225 million to the foundation and, among other things, enabled the establishment of eight new professorships within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Linköping University.
