Leaky humanitarianism: The anthropology of small arms control in the Gambia

Among Gambians, attitudes toward small arms control vary. For some, it appears as the unjust act of an overbearing and autocratic government; for others, it is part of the project of fashioning a modern state; for yet others, being licensed to carry a gun is a sign of respect from the state. On the basis of these differences, I develop the notion of “leaky humanitarianism” to capture how humanitarian small arms control underwrites state power. I further suggest that small arms control should be understood as a form of statecraft centered on injuring power and is thus a potent but underused diagnostic in the anthropology of the state. [ small arms control, the state, humanitarianism, the Gambia, hunters, precarity, bureaucracy ]