Is Voluntourism a contemporary manifestation of imperialism?
Preliminary Bibliography
Banki, S., and Schonell, R., 2018. Voluntourism and the Contract Collective.
Voluntourism is a contemporary manifestation of imperialism. According to Banki and Schonell (2018, p.34), Voluntourism is a form of commodifying and infantilizing developing countries to perpetuate global hierarchies. Banki and Schonell (2018, p.34) explain that despite many volunteer tourist organizations’ good intentions, the unfortunate reality is that Voluntourism shares many similarities with imperialism. How these expeditions are carried out perpetuates global hierarchies rather than leading to sustainable development.
Chakravarty, D., Good, K., and Gasser, H., 2020. “Exploring Your World, Exploring Other Cultures:” How Neocoloniality and Neoliberalism Inform U.S.U.S. Education Abroad Programs. Equity & Excellence in Education, pp.1-16.
A research conducted by Chakravarty, Good, and Gasser (2020, p.20) reveals that Voluntourism is a modern exhibition of imperialism. They define imperialism as a system in which a country extends its authority to directly control territory, resources, and people beyond its borders. Voluntourism includes charity work drawing individuals seeking a tourist experience that will positively benefit society and their personal development. Most of the tourists selected to go for this charity work in various countries are mainly young graduates with less knowledge and skills about the outer world way of life.
Cameron, S., Langdon, J., and Agyeyomah, C., 2018. Service Learning and Solidarity: Politics, Possibilities, and Challenges of Experiential Learning. Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education, 6(1).
Cameron, Langdon, and Agyeyomah(2018,p. 24) define Voluntourism as an alternative to mass tourism in which travelers pay for the opportunity to experience culture radically different from their own, and also use that opportunity to provide charity services to the host country. A further study shows that the nature of commodifying the culture of the host communities and infantilizing the lesser economically developed countries displays an image of Voluntourism as nothing more than a shrouded means of imperialism.
Bédard, R.E.M.K.R.E.M.K., 2018. “Indian in the Cupboard” Lateral Violence and Indigenization of the Academy. In Exploring the Toxicity of Lateral Violence and Microaggressions (pp. 75-101). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Bédard, R.E.M.K. R.E.M.K. ( 2018,p.89) reveals that most tourists who take part in the voluntourism services are less qualified with no enough skills and knowledge of the host county’s way of life and living. Because of the lack of the right skills and experience, there are generalized views of other cultures and may even lead to imposing their own culture on others, with or without intention. It is essential that volunteers are appropriately qualified and prepared to be perceived positively by their hosts and make a genuine contribution, rather than merely absorbing time and resources.
Clost, E., 2011. Voluntourism: The visual economy of international volunteer programs (Doctoral dissertation).
Clost 2011 identifies Voluntourism as one of the fastest developing fields in the industry of tourism. According to him, Voluntourism may be causing more harm than good in third world countries. Poorly arranged voluntourism activities are at risk of becoming a new way of colonialism. Voluntourism’s aspect becomes a significant problem, especially when the tourists start to believe that it is their responsibility to the lives of the people in the host country.
Essay Plan
In this thesis, I set out to explain how voluntarism is a contemporary manifestation of imperialism. I would agree that Voluntourism is a contemporary manifestation of imperialism. Voluntourism is causing more harm than good, especially in third world countries. This entire essay will justify the fact that Voluntourism is a true manifestation of imperialism. The first part of the paper will include an introduction that will explain important terms like Voluntourism and imperialism for a better understanding of the essay. It will also provide details to enlighten the readers and make them better understand the topic. The second part of the paper will include clear reasons why Voluntourism is considered a contemporary manifestation of imperialism. Each explanation will be presented separately in each paragraph for easy understanding by the reader. The last part of the essay will include a conclusion of what is contained in the paper, my opinion, and a recommendation concerning Voluntourism and contemporary manifestation of imperialism.
Body paragraph
Voluntourism is considered a contemporary manifestation of imperialism in many ways. Initially, Voluntourism was praised for its altruistic motives and potential benefits such as increased awareness of issues in developing countries and intercultural exchange; more contemporary research has focused on the potentially damaging outcomes of Voluntourism. Various researchers have pointed to its risk of reinforcing relationships of dependency, structural inequality, neocolonial sentiments, diminishing actual development work, reproducing stereotypes, etc. The most recent imperialism wave was the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. European powers controlled many African states through colonialism with the direct physical occupation of the foreign territories. The Post-decolonization of Africa has seen the emergence of developing nations and a rise in voluntourism type activities. Citizens from countries like Canada have taken part in Voluntourism since 1960. According to Bédard, R.E.M.K. R.E.M.K. ( 2018,p.89), most tourists who take part in the voluntourism services are less qualified with no enough skills and knowledge of the host county’s way of life and living. Because of the lack of the right skills and experience, there are generalized views of other cultures and may even lead to imposing their own culture on others, with or without intention. Volunteers must be appropriately qualified and prepared so that they are perceived positively by their hosts and can make a genuine contribution, rather than merely absorbing time and resources. Banki and Schonell (2018, p.34) explain that Voluntourism is a form of commodifying and infantilizing developing countries to perpetuate global hierarchies. Despite the good intentions of many volunteer tourist organizations, the unfortunate reality is that Voluntourism shares many similarities with imperialism.