Serious Voluntourism?: A case study on the Children and Youth Center in Shatila Refugee Camp
Author
Langevang, Freja Amanda
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-02-29
Pages
184
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor mennesker vælger at arbejde frivilligt som turister i komplekse, politisk ustabile destinationer. Er dette valg et dybt udtryk for personlige interesser og livsværdier, eller blot volunturisme? Med afsæt i forfatterens tidligere feltarbejde og et aktuelt casestudie analyseres etnografiske noter, deltagerobservationer, frivilliges tidslinjetegninger og semistrukturerede interviews. Specialet bruger begrebet livspolitik – de hverdagsvalg, hvorigennem mennesker former deres identitet – til at forstå volunturisme som en selvaktualiserende aktivitet. Antagelsen er, at frivillige turister er styret af sådan livspolitik og ofte handler ud fra flere motiver samtidigt. Ud over eventyr og fornøjelse søger de at lære, opnå viden og erfaringer og at behandle andre godt; altruisme er her flettet sammen med egeninteresse. For at forklare, hvorfor nogle deltager mere vedvarende og engageret, anvendes Serious Leisure-perspektivet, der ser visse fritidsaktiviteter som meningsfulde, kompetenceopbyggende og identitetsskabende. Sammenstillingen med volunturisme åbner et samlet Serious Leisure Voluntourism-perspektiv (SLV). Travel Career Ladder (TCL), en model der beskriver, hvordan rejsemotiver kan udvikle sig over tid, bruges som ramme til at organisere data i en bestemt kontekst (CYC). Disse perspektiver giver en dybere forståelse af motivationerne og udviklingen hos seriøse volunturister. For dem handler det ikke kun om at have det sjovt; frivilligt arbejde er centralt for selvaktualisering, identitetssøgning og selviscenesættelse.
This thesis examines why people choose to volunteer as tourists in complex, politically unstable destinations. Is this choice a deep expression of personal interests and life values, or simply voluntourism? Building on the author’s earlier fieldwork and a contemporary case study, the study analyzes ethnographic notes, participant observation, volunteers’ timeline drawings, and semi-structured interviews. It uses the idea of life politics—the everyday choices through which people shape who they are—to understand voluntourism as a self-actualizing activity. The analysis assumes that volunteer tourists are guided by such life politics and often act from multiple motives at once. Alongside adventure and enjoyment, they seek to learn, gain knowledge and experience, and to treat others well; here altruism is intertwined with self-interest. To explain why some participants engage in a more sustained and committed way, the thesis draws on the Serious Leisure Perspective, which views certain leisure pursuits as meaningful, skill-building activities that help form identity. Bringing this together with voluntourism research opens a combined Serious Leisure Voluntourism Perspective (SLV). The Travel Career Ladder (TCL), a model that maps how travel motivations can develop over time, provides a framework for organizing the data in a specific case context (CYC). These lenses offer a deeper understanding of the motivations and development of serious voluntourists. For them, it is not just about having fun; volunteering plays a crucial role in self-actualization, the search for identity, and how they frame themselves.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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