This last week, we have discussed the implications of globalization and the far-reaching effects of an exploitative, capitalist system. In the documentary Life and Death, directed by Stephanie Black, elements of Jamaica Kincaid's text, A Small Place are used to contextualize the plight of Jamaican citizens within a larger and corrupt, economic system. The narrative style of this documentary places emphasis on the tourist as complicit in a system of oppression which serves to perpetuate Western Imperialism.
When one thinks of a tourist, one might picture a person with a camera slung around their neck, feet clad in socks paired with flip flops, wearing a cheesy Hawaiian shirt and bright red sunburn, eager to get to the nearest beach. However, in recent times, tourism has evolved and seemingly gained a conscious. These days it appears as though everyone has a friend who has recently returned from a so-called 'Third-World' country eager to share stories of their experiences building orphanages and teaching English. White guilt has a new face and it now goes by 'Voluntourism.'
Don't get me wrong, volunteering is a wonderful endeavor and many communities stand to benefit from the hard work of volunteers. I only seek to call into question the corporatization of what is fast-becoming one of the most popular forms of travel for young people.
In an article for NPR, Theresa Higgs, who heads the organization United Planet comments: "What I think often gets lost is the host communities [...] Are they gaining? Are they winning? Are they true partners in this? Or are they simply a means to an end to a student's learning objective, to someone's desire to have fun on vacation and learn something?"
Under the guise of benevolence (*cough cough* paternalism), one might argue that the popularity of Voluntourism works to disguise and perhaps even perpetuate larger systems of oppression. What are your opinions on the Voluntourism Industry? In what way might this industry work to damage the very communities it claims to help?
In my opinion, I feel as if voluntourism does more harm than good. Besides padding resumes, many people use voluntourism as a way to show how "cultured" and "kind-hearted" thye have become because of their experience helping those poor,poor brown kids. It's voyeuristic and narcissistic at its best.
ReplyDeleteThese tourists feel like they aren't like the others~ They're doing a Good Deed, and by accomplishing their Good Deeds, they have "acknowledged" their privilege and erased their guilt over their privilege. I feel like most of these voluntourists are there for the "culture", and I understand that this is not everyone who chooses to volunteer abroad. Some truly wish to help and improve the situations of those less fortunate than them. However, building a school doesn't really fix the issue of why these people don't have a school in the first place. Sure, it might be greatly needed and appreciated, but will the socio-economic environment be able to support it?
The volutourists need to work not only at a personal level but a systematic against disparities with a downstream approach. There is no true needs assessment that comes with voluntourism, and it also takes jobs away from the local residents. A ton of abuse of power such as sexual abuse and slave labor often occurs under the guise of voluntourism. So while in theory, it sounds good, but there is too many risks and too much exploitation associated with voluntourism.
At the first glance, I would suggest that voluntourism did more good than bad, however, if we put this whole system into a bigger picture, it did pressured on the "third world" countries. Not only because the organizations of voluntourism were mainly built by the developed countries, but also those well-developed countries showed and enhanced their power and economy through this meant-well action of volunteers. There was no doubt that the original purpose of starting the voluntary organizations was only to help people out of poverty, starving and lacking of social benefits. However, after the systematic re-construction, the whole system of volunterism has shaped largely for political and economic purposes.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist! I love everything about this thread! Thank you, Sierra for initiating a provocative discussion too many of us don't initiate!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the ones I like to "teach" with!
Deletehttp://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/little-white-girls-voluntourism_b_4834574.html
ReplyDeleteSierra,
I’m glad that you brought this up because I have always felt a little off when discussing what volunteerism has become. Seeing post after post on my Facebook timeline of students going to Africa or other countries similar to it to volunteer brings me to the same question every time: Why not start at home? Why not help the 46.7 million people in poverty in the U.S.? Now, I don’t want anyone to think that I am against volunteering in other countries, I’m actually all for it. Rather, I question what peoples' actual intentions are when volunteering abroad. What are they actually looking to get out of volunteering abroad? Is their volunteering abroad for them or the people in need there? When I lived in Mexico for a year, the school I attended planned a mission trip twice a year, but our destination was only an hour away from where we lived. Those mission trips opened my eyes to the problems that every country experiences and the U.S. is not excluded from that. I’ve heard time and time again that in order to go into a relationship, we must be content and satisfied with ourselves (as individuals) before giving our time and love to others. So wouldn’t that same notion apply for volunteering? How can we be we be devoting our time and hard work to other countries when we (the U.S.) have poverty amongst other problems as well. We students could be volunteering all over Tuscaloosa but unfortunately, I don’t know if I can think of anyone who would pass up the opportunity to go to Africa and help the people there. Again, I don’t want people to think volunteering abroad is wrong. It’s not. These students are still taking it upon themselves to devote their time to helping others. It just makes me wonder… why not start at home?
When it comes to things like this, what I look at is whether it reduces suffering or adds to it (nothing is really neutral on this); basically, if someone needs food, then they should have food. In this case, I can see the arguments for either side. Sure, many people blatantly have their own agendas (college applications, "learning something," assuaging privilege-related guilt…) while metaphorically waving their privilege flag around and endorsing a form of paternalism, but how does that weigh against people not starving? There is a precedent for helping others while not really meaning it in United States history; the Union or Abraham Lincoln did not add "ending the institution of slavery" to their list of goals for any altruistic reason. Of course, people would help others better if they understood what people in specific places actually need and, perhaps just as important if often much more completed, how they need it. Many people, some anthropologists included, work on this.
ReplyDeleteHowever, none of this actually deals with an overarching problem, only the symptoms of it. Why are there people starving "here" (as in, whichever place is being discussed) in the first place? That said, how would anybody go about dealing with said overarching problem? People and countries around the world are wary of "aid" from Europeans or Americans and for good reason; even ignoring colonialism (which we really shouldn't), attempts to "help" often come with stipulations (as seen in recent classes) or cause more problems than they set out to fix. All of these things need to be thought through to determine how voluntourism affects people.
--Forest Copeland
This happened to be one of my favorites discussions within class , because the subject is so touchy but at the same it reveals so many truths once addressed. Voulntourism as you stated has become a huge issue, due to the fact it no longer comes from a persons heart or idea of genuinecy but on the contrary coming from a place of greed and self centeredness. Just as the video and the book showed the effort given becomes almost unemotional, you get what we as Americans think you need , rather you need it or not. A sickening notion , no way helping but simply adding more harm to the things already damaged! Instead of going into places building houses maybe we should go in and ask what each person needs or desires are, then maybe a change can occur. Instead of going off of what we think people need , we should actually know instead!
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