Sofi Adams | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Sofi Adams
Title: Humanitarianism & Medicine: Hierarchies of Control in the Rohingya Crisis
Majors: History; Neuroscience
±Ê²¹³Ù³ó·É²¹²â:ÌýGlobal Impacts
Advisor: Margaret Ng Wee-Siang
The Rohingya crisis is one of the most pressing humanitarian emergencies of the 21st century. The name ‘Rohingya’ denotes an indigenous ethic minority in Myanmar, typically of an Islamic religious background. Through an in-depth analysis of secondary literature, various contemporary qualitative research, primary accounts from Rohingya women, and archival UNHCR documents obtains from the National Archives in Kew, UK, this Independent Study covers how within the Rohingya crisis, humanitarianism operates within a paradox; outwardly promoting the alleviation of suffering while continuing to reproduce systems and hierarchies of control, more specifically, the use of medical aid as a form of institutional legitimacy and cultural transference. It highlights how Rohingya women actively navigate, reinterpret, and at times resist humanitarian intervention, forging new expressions of identity and belonging. The significance of this research is heightened by the fact that the military campaigns of mass killings, sexual violence, village burning, and forced displacement occurring in 2017 is recognized by international law as a genocide since August 2018. Despite the scale and recency of these events, the Rohingya genocide remains relatively unknown in global public discourse compared to other genocides. Understanding the Rohingya experience is therefore important not only as a case of refugee displacement, but also as part of documenting the ongoing consequences of genocide.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
