The Banality of Good

“A profound and vivid account of the afterlives of well-intended protocols and laws that are not able to resolve the very aspirations that embed their core mandates. By making plain the relationship between ‘do good aspirations,’ global political economy, inept legal tools, and the contradictions inherent in international justice, The Banality of Good offers new clarity on why human trafficking persists today. Truly a tour de force. A must-read!” - Kamari Maxine Clarke, author of Affective Justice: The International Criminal Court and the Pan-Africanist Pushback

“This is a significant contribution to studies of international law and policy with a critical and on-the-ground granular approach to deepening our understanding of how anti-trafficking practices may be received and modified in local communities. Lieba Faier argues that contemporary models of global governance that propose universal solutions should include local thinking about trafficking. By training our eye on the nuances of human trafficking, Faier demonstrates, we would produce more layered understandings of the conditions that produce the violence in the first place and allow for the possibility of making material changes in the lives of victims.” - Arzoo Osanloo, author of Forgiveness Work: Mercy, Law, and Victims’ Rights in Iran

"This excellent, meticulously detailed book successfully highlights the complexities and pragmatic pitfalls of implementing international law to effect significant change. It is a must-read volume for those interested in international law, global governance, human trafficking, and sex trafficking. Essential." - V. Collins, Choice

“[The Banality of Good] shows the relevance of examining the dynamics of action of NGOs to reverse the power logic and acquire a greater participation in the protection of victims.” - Valeria Zamorano, Reviews in Anthropology

"Anyone frustrated with the politics surrounding human trafficking interventions will welcome this new study ... In this thorough and highly detailed book, the author provides both historical-archival and much-needed on-the-ground ethnographic research examining the development of the international Trafficking Protocol, adopted by the United Nations in 2000, and how it has operated in the cases of Japan and the Philippines." - Edward Snajdr, Journal of Anthropological Research