Global Governance Centre reserachers Nora Doukkali, Anna Leander, and Silke Oldenburg recently co-authored an article in e-flux Architecture's October 2025 special issue on humanitarianism. 

The article, titled "Humanitarians on Hold: Cruel Optimism and Rhythmic Objects of Care," draws on Lauren Berlant's concept of "cruel optimism," to examine how mundane, everyday objects shape the rhythms and affective dimensions of humanitarian work and care.

The publication sits within a broader collaboration as the entire e-flux Architecture humanitarianism issue was co-produced with the The Future of Humanitarian Design (HUD) project, bringing together contributors from the Geneva Graduate Institute, the University of Copenhagen, the Department of Interior Architecture at HEAD – Genève, and the EssentialTech Lab at EPFL Lausanne.

The full issue is available here