Proponents of globalization argue that globalization is inevitable and benefits all humans by creating opportunities to escape oppression and poverty. They raise the point that the emergence of global problems requires global solutions, and propagate that all people are united by unique human traits, concluding that all people should be in an ultimate allegiance (global human community). However, critics point out that globalization assumes a degree of agency, and only allows those who are already privileged to act as global citizens. They point out that globalization invokes cultural imperialism, imposing Western culture on the world. A major criticism is focused on voluntourism, as critics say it’s more of a benefit to the tourist, than the communities they ‘help.’ Volunteering in the undeveloped areas of the world is often just a way for Westerners to assuage their guilt and make themselves feel like good people. Performers of voluntourism confirm many of the wider criticisms of global citizenship.
Engaging in forms of travel that link adventure with volunteering has increased in popularity. Voluntourism has existed throughout history, to make a difference in communities. Today it is argued to be doing more harm than good. Voluntourism presents an ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality, making the West appear to be gracious and powerful, and the poor living in undeveloped countries as weak and incapable. Data collected by in-depth, open-ended interviews and participant observations conducted over three months with American travelers to a Malawian orphanage between 2009 and 2010 showed that “volunteers’ experiences and perceptions were shaped by misrepresentations of a generic Africa that both biased and perpetuated misunderstandings of poverty” (Andrea, L. Freidus 2016). The voluntourists often leave with a superficial understanding of poverty and culture. Volunteers are influenced by images of ‘what poverty looks like’, news stories, and other volunteers' accounts of volunteering. Such influences promote misrepresentations of the developing world: “It is assumed orphans are abandoned and without parents or caregivers when in reality, most children in southern Africa are situated within a broad network of extended family or fictive family that take on the responsibility of caring for them” (Freidus, 2010; Richter & Norman, 2010). The faulty understanding that everyone in poorer countries needs people from the West to care for them, belittles the caregivers and professionals in those countries. For example, Siem Reap in Cambodia was briefly exposed for having orphanages that were full of children with real parents. It was cost-effective for orphanage pimps to rent them off their parents for the day so that they could play or perform for gullible tourists for a healthy profit in donations (R. Stupart 2011). Globalization can be blamed for this because the fact is, people who voluntour, believe they are doing a good, humanitarian duty-- which is a fundamental goal of globalizing the world. Globalization has had negative impacts on cultural diversity because it encourages the “Western ideal of individualism” (S. Gibson 2007). This western ideal assumes that everyone should be or should want to be like those in the West, which is an arrogant and inaccurate belief. Instead, all cultures should be embraced and represented equally.
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Many charity organizations have their volunteers do work in construction (e.g. building schools, digging wells, etc.). They do this because they raise more money by having their unskilled voluntourists do it, than they would by instead paying for the work of skilled, locals. The result of voluntourists doing jobs like construction leaves these communities with improperly or poorly built structures, as well as a lack of jobs. In the countries where voluntourists are going, people are desperate for jobs. Doing these jobs for them is hurting local businesses/workers. An American volunteer in Tanzania recalled: “We … were so bad at the most basic construction work that each night the men had to take down the structurally unsound bricks we had laid and rebuild the structure so that, when we woke up in the morning, we would be unaware of our failure” (T. Rosenberg 2018). Some work of the voluntourists burdens those who live in the communities to which they go. So, why are people knowingly volunteering to do work they know nothing about?
It cannot be ignored that there are people who volunteer genuinely out of the goodness of their hearts, with a passion for helping others. However, it also cannot be ignored that many people are volunteering for selfish reasons. Westerners volunteering in countries of poverty, in a sense, is self-serving. It is a way for the privileged to ease their guilt, and make themselves feel like they are doing their humanitarian duty. Going to Africa for a week to help the poor does not make you a bad person, but there is this association that if you do something as such you are a good person, which is not true. In Anderle’s article, she wrote: “My own experience with people who have gone abroad to volunteer just as a summer or resume filler, come back with no increased knowledge about the world or desire to pursue more philanthropic efforts” (M. Anderle 2014). It is hard to discern intent through social media with a lack of background information, but it is clear when individuals with no passion for understanding the culture of the place they are volunteering, or with no prior interest in helping the less fortunate, that they are likely doing it for superficial reasons. Not only does it make you appear as a good person to others, but people may arrogantly believe it themselves. What is particularly problematic about this debate over volunteer tourists being selfless or selfish, is that selfless people are volunteering for the right reasons, out of the goodness of their hearts. It is difficult to know which individuals had the money and a few free weeks over the summer, from those who genuinely want to help others and enlarge their worldview (M. Anderle 2014). When people volunteer for the wrong reasons, they are taking away from those who truly care by giving voluntourism a bad name.
There is a wide variety of improper motives for volunteering. In addition to voluntourism being self-serving by assuaging the guilt of the privileged,’ it is also self-serving to those who are doing so just for something outstanding to put on their resume. When searching for ‘good tips for a resume’ the number one search answer tip is “If you have volunteer experience, put it down, employers love it.” Some make the argument that it doesn’t matter why people are volunteering because the act itself is beneficial to the underprivileged. However, exploiting the South for the North’s benefit cannot be justified. Voluntourism often leads to destabilizing local economies and social infrastructure by limiting jobs which does not help these countries to progress or develop, but deepens the issue. Though the set of motives underlying volunteerism is intricate, models of volunteer motivation have been developed to explain what those motives are. For example, egoistic motives are related to the attainment of tangible rewards such as career-related benefits: “Individuals motivated by egoistic motives engage in volunteer service for the amelioration of their welfare” (E. Widjaja 2010). People will do what they need to do, to get a job they want, no matter how little they care for what they do to get there. Unfortunately, people are not looking enough into the organizations they’re working with or the negative lasting effects that voluntourism can have, including receded progress and regression within the communities.
A common criticism of global citizenship is the argument that it promotes elitism. Only those who are already privileged can act as global citizens as generally being a global citizen consists of going to global citizenship concerts, flying to other countries, etc. Those not of privilege do not have the money to do such things, so they are excluded from the title of global citizen. Global citizenship categorizes people into two groups: those who can help and need help. This categorization depicts the privileged as heroes, and the poor as helpless people in need of privileged heroes, reinforcing a US versus them mentality. This very idea of a 'universal' moral framework promotes Western ways and devalues other cultures. Because global citizens want to make the rest of the world like them, they imply Global Citizens/ Cosmopolitans are 'better' than those who are not. Since the underprivileged inherently cannot act as global citizens, they are not as great: “Cosmopolitanism appeals to almost no one but the rationalist philosophers who articulate it… while cosmopolitanism may sound good in theory, it would never work in practice” (P.A. Furia 2006). While most now agree or admit that ever-expanding transnational NGOs make meaningful global political action possible, they argue that ordinary people worldwide remain narrow-minded in their sentiments and suspicious of cosmopolitan elites. True global citizenship requires a global community of like-minded people, but you will not find like-minded people in all parts of the world. What makes humans different is their separate cultures and values; instead of enforcing one world order or one worldview, people should work towards understanding and learning from their differences, embracing other people.
An analysis of The sociology of voluntourism recruitment in higher education by Colleen McGloin, and Nichole Georgeou addresses the discursive terrain of voluntourism. They look into two relevant aspects of the voluntourism business, analyzing practices that surround the voluntourism phenomenon and the relationship between voluntourism and teaching within higher education. It is no coincidence that the entry of voluntourism representatives into higher-level education institutions is significantly higher. Georgeou argues, ‘the seeming simplicity of this description conceals complexities that are subjective and contextual’ (2012: 1). The subjectivity is the understanding that the volunteers have about their role. The proliferation of voluntourism companies can be linked to the rise of neoliberalism as the dominant logic underpinning current development practices (C. McGloin, N. Georgeou 2015). Voluntourism is a rapidly growing sector of tourism, as students are encouraged by schools, jobs, and advertisements. There must be a clearer understanding of the role of those who volunteer, for meaningful and beneficial work to be accomplished.
The easy access to travel and volunteerism available today make it easier for apathetic people to volunteer for shallow reasons: “It used to be if you wanted to volunteer abroad, you wrote letters to overseas contacts,” says Claire Bennett, co-author of Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteering Abroad. “Now you can buy a volunteer experience with a few clicks.” Though voluntourism began with a virtuous idea, it is built on perverse economics. Many organizations are focused more on money than the people they are ‘helping.’ An example of this is (as mentioned earlier) how instead of hiring locals skilled in building to build, they get unskilled volunteers to do the work, as a way to save money.
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