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Ethnocentrism and Globalization

June 3, 2020 / merinorc / 0 Comments

The readings by Appiah and Elliot highlight the complex, and often asymmetric, relationship between the West and the rest of the world. In a practical sense, the idea of being a global citizen is arguably reserved for people in the West. People from Western countries have powerful passports and we tend to have the resources to actually leave the places we were born. While being a global citizen requires us to take care of our siblings across borders, it also allows us to experience these places physically. The political power of being from a western country cannot be disregarded when having these discussions.

The industrialized West is seen as the epitome of the modern human experience. Sprawling cities with dozens of illuminated logos are seen as a sign of developed and advancing societies. This can be problematic in the realm of international aid and voluntourism, as discussed by Elliot, because it might lead to unsustainable forms of aid that don’t benefit local communities. By trying to help people reach our (unsustainable) way of living, we can cause more harm than good. This is why making sure that any project meant to help a community has a strong relationship with people in that community.

Another danger is ethnocentrism, which is lightly touched upon in Elliot’s piece, and further discussed in this interesting blog post. Something that comes to mind is religious service trips, which have the potential to disregard the host community’s practices and beliefs. It is a tricky thing to balance, however, keeping in mind Appiah’s discussion on what makes a culture “authentic.”

Finally, an important limitation is that the majority of the theories used as frameworks to understand relationships across borders have been developed in Western academic settings. From philosophy, sociology, and psychology to international relations and political science, these theoretical frameworks could benefit from non-western input. By not doing so, we run the risk of encouraging corruption and environmentally unsustainable practices in non-western countries trying to achieve the developments. Overall, it is important to be mindful of many variables when discussing globalization to no add to the western supremacy narrative.

Global Citizenship, Voluntourism, and ‘White Saviorism’

June 3, 2020 / teeuwens / 0 Comments

Global citizenship can be characterized by humility, sensitivity, and acknowledgement of the human dignity that everyone is entitled to. Additionally, a large aspect of global citizenship is continuous reflection and acknowledging that all living beings on this earth are interdependent. However, as a result of power inequalities, Western notions are generally privileged within the global citizenship discourse.

In the article “Giving Back: A Special Report on Volunteer Vacations”, Dorinda Elliott contemplates the pros and cons of volunteer vacations, or so called ‘voluntourism’. It seems that in many cases, Western people will go to a community with preconceived notions, and while there, volunteers might only perceive what they expected to see. By having these prejudices, volunteers might think of themselves as “alien angles swooping in to help”. Given this notion of ‘white saviorism’, volunteers might not treat the local community with dignity; thus furthering Western notions, while marginalizing indigenous worldviews. As a result, many volunteer groups are “condescending and insensitive” towards the culture and the local people, in some cases doing “more harm than good”. For this reason, I believe it is important to consider to what extent your actions are selfless and aim to truly help others; and to what extent the actions are selfish, and are benefiting you more than the local community.

Though Elliott provides recommendations for voluntourism, she does admit that people locally could probably do the same job, perhaps even better. However, Elliott concludes that volunteers are needed to get the funding. This leaves me wondering though, if one aspires to become a global citizen, and treat everyone with dignity and respect, wouldn’t it be better to just donate the money?

Or better yet, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the global structures that are leaving some communities dependent upon the West.

Begone White Savior

June 3, 2020 / Alejandro Rodriguez / 0 Comments

How does the global citizenship discourse privilege Western notions of the human experience and marginalize indigenous worldviews?

While abroad in Costa Rica, the few projects of volunteerism we had also made me feel uncomfortable. The one that has stuck with me is when we visited a coffee farm near the cloud forests of Monteverde and picked coffee beans off the plants alongside undocumented Nicaraguan immigrant workers. As a group of white American students, it really bothered me as we worked alongside them, acting as if the few measly coffee beans we picked were really doing anything. I began conversing in Spanish with the person I was working with, who I, unfortunately, forgot the name of, because I could tell they were uncomfortable around our presence. As we began talking about Spanish music and cracking jokes, he began to relax and we began talking about the work they do at the farms. He told me that they usually work from sunrise to around 4pm, a 10 workday. This didn’t seem all that surprising as I expected them to have longer than usual work hours because of the demanding nature of the type of manual labor performed. As our literal 15 minutes of picking the coffee beans were up, we were told to head back and regroup for the rest of the tour. I overheard a classmate of mine say “this is fun, I could do this all day” and it infuriated me. I didn’t speak up because frankly I was going to be around this group of people for the next three months and frankly was afraid of being outcasted for making them uncomfortable.

As the tour around the coffee farm ended, which boasted about its organic, sustainable, and ‘great’ treatment of workers ended, someone asked the guide, who was a family member who owned the farm, about the usual workday of the people who pick the coffee beans. He said that they work from 8am to 4pm, with long breaks to eat included. I perceived that as nothing less than a lie. Whether to make us feel better about the tour or to hide the realities of their workers’ treatment, it didn’t sit well with me. All of this is to say that in many occasions, these projects of volunteerism are purposefully designed to leave the rich western with a feel-good moment. Without this feel-good moment, how else would you get them to come back and spend more? This emphasis is why the discourse prioritizes the western human experience; until people can go abroad and understand that in reality, they don’t always deserve to be praised for simple acts of volunteerism, I don’t think the discourse will favor the indigenous perspective.

Global Citizenship

June 3, 2020 / rothcl / 0 Comments

In my introductory class to Environmental Studies, we read a case study on the PlayPump. The design seemed ingenious, children playing would pump groundwater, and billboard advertisements would cover costs. Unfortunately, the PlayPump worsened problems rather than providing a solution. The pump was flawed and couldn’t provide adequate water supplies as the amount of time children spent playing on the pump was nowhere near adequate to meet water demands leaving women to spin the playground equipment by hand.

It seems stories such as these are abundant. A brilliant idea sparks a humanitarian project or service program which, despite having good intentions, falls flat. Why is this the case?

Global citizenship is focused on finding solutions to the world’s biggest issues however most of these solutions come from western countries. I think that many projects focus on great ideas and meeting a need without considering community dynamics. Folks from developed countries take new and innovative ideas and implement them. Without understanding the communities, the culture, history, and without a proper long term, plan such efforts are bound to fail.

During Rwanda’s reconciliation indigenous perspectives and Rwandanese culture were used to create lasting solutions. After the genocide of the Tutsis, the country rebuilt itself. Rwandans looked back to their pre-colonial culture and incorporated their traditions into reconstructing the country. One specific example is the Gacaca court. In pre-colonial Rwanda, the punishment of a crime would be determined by the community. Using the traditional western judicial system it would’ve taken decades to try the millions of perpetrators, however, with Gacaca the trials were completed after five years. As with everything there are mixed opinions on the use of Gacaca courts, but there is a great sense of pride in Rwanda surrounding their homegrown solutions.

By imposing western ideas and solutions on countries I believe failure is inevitable. Rwanda illustrates the power of solutions from within a country. The voices of indigenous people should be at the center of global citizenship, shaping the course of action and resources supplied, rather than incorporated into western perspectives. While the world failed to aid Rwanda, if global citizenship were to focus on supporting homegrown solutions I believe we may see fewer solutions fall flat.

global citizenship conversations and feelings of superiority

June 3, 2020 / tings / 0 Comments

The global citizenship conversation reinforce the existing belief that those in non-Western societies are ‘less fortunate’ and ‘worse off’. By painting individuals in these societies as such, those in Western societies are immediately elevated while those who do not exist in Western societies are put at a disadvantage. Consequently, their communities, customs, way of life and even their lives themselves are viewed as less important and their overall worldviews are marginalized.

Global citizenship conversations also prompts the idea that there are two distinctly different types of societies; Western and non-Western. The idea that these societies are different creates a mental distance between the two which allows for an ‘us versus them’ mentality to be formed. In such cases, the ‘us’ population (Western society) feels superior to the ‘them’ population (non-Western society). Because of this feeling of superiority, the ‘us’ population often views and treats the ‘them’ population negatively.

Historically, ‘us versus them’ mentalities and feelings of superiority has led to ideas such as ‘the white man’s burden’ which was said to ‘justify’ colonization and slavery. In the 1700’s, Caucasian’s (the ‘us’ population) saw African’s (the ‘them’ population) as different than themselves. This perceived difference created a distance between the two populations in the Caucasian’s minds. This distance allowed Caucasian’s to think of themselves as superior and think of African’s as savage, inhuman and therefore inherently lesser. These views and attitudes towards the African population then used to ‘justify’ enslaving the African population, as well as the atrocious acts committed towards Africans. This was done by arguing that the Caucasian’s knew what was best for the African population. However, in this case, and in many others, all the Caucasian’s really did was take advantage of, mistreat and abuse those they deemed to be lesser.

Our Globalized World

June 1, 2020 / Alejandro Rodriguez / 1 Comment

How do you conceptualize “interdependence” and how are you a product of it? Think about the histories, cultures, communities, places, and people who formed you

Interdependence makes me think about the World Systems Theory as it splits the world’s nations into three categories: core, semi-peripheral, and peripheral. Core countries are industrialized nations(U.S), semi-peripheral countries are partially industrialized and also extract raw materials(Brazil), while peripheral countries are the most underdeveloped and often used for their natural resources(DRC); all three types of countries are dependent on one another to thrive. The incredibly interdependent world we live in today highlights the thin line between some of the most incredible milestones of humanity, while also being the cause for some of the fundamental problems in our international community.

Especially as an American, the number of everyday products that are made possible because of global supply chains— from tasty pineapples and bananas exported from Costa Rica, cheap raw materials from China, and premium salmon from Norway —are incredible. However, aside from the human rights violations inherent with many of these supply chains, our international community has also become dependent on them for financial capital and this has resulted in many countries dragging their feet when attempting to implement equitable policies. Interdependence within the frame of the World Systems Theory is both a tool to connect the world, but also a weapon to abuse the most vulnerable.

In America’s case, it has been an excuse to invade countries and extract their resources. Often using the claim that they’re freeing nations in order to create an international community of interdependent democracies, its evident that the concept is easily and often abused. However, I believe that interdependence will be one of the main tools used to bring the international community together in light of climate change. Though, I have yet to see how it will be done.

Interdependence and relationships

June 1, 2020 / tings / 1 Comment

I have previously thought of interdependence as a symbiotic relationship between communities and individuals within those communities. However, based on our recent conversation about the topic, I now think of interdependence as more similar to an extended family that all live under one roof in a collectivistic society. In such a household, each family member is related to each other in a different way. The ways they are related each other prompt different types of treatment and often, each family member also has a specific duty. All family members work together to ensure the function of the household and care of family members, however, depending on what the treatment and duties, some family members may be ‘better off’ or have better jobs/responsibilities than others. Overall, in such a system, anything that one family member does impacts all other family members to a certain degree. In a more global context, different communities would stand in the place of individual family members and everything that one community does affects all other communities.

My different relationships to things, people, communities and environments makes me a product of interdependence. Whether or not I am aware of it, all these things are working together to impact my personal experiences which in turn impact who I am as a person. For example, my relationships with my family members impact how I view myself within the family while my relationship with school impacts how I see myself as a person. Together, these two views, along with others such as my understanding of my cultural heritage, the area in which I grew up, etc., impacts who I am overall. In this way, who I am or how I perceive myself is dependent on my relationships with the different factors in the environment I grew up in and I, in turn, have likely impacted the same factors that have impacted me.

Interdependence in a Pandemic

June 1, 2020 / rothcl / 1 Comment

At no time has the interdependence of the human race been clearer to me. Right now as the world fights a pandemic and the United States enters a financial crisis our reliance on one another is clear.

The pandemic has brought the world together to overcome a common challenge- COVID:19. While the US has been a little less than cooperative, countries have been working to help one another by sharing their experiences, doctors, and scientific research. Within the US the work of essential employees has allowed life to continue. Medical staff have been putting their lives on the line to treat affected people while communities have rallied to donate gowns, gloves, and masks.

Jobs that are typically overlooked have received attention and gratitude as the pandemic has illustrated how much we depend on them. As those with flashy or more appealing jobs have been stuck at home, others such as farmers, those who work in packaging and shipping, and grocery store staff have been clocking in. While it is normally easy to overlook these employees and remain apathetic to their wages and working conditions, the spotlight now shines on them as heroes. Our society is dependent on them to keep store shelves stocked and people fed. Similarly as international imports and exports slow with COVID, the imported items we typically take for granted are now much more appreciated. While our interdependence has not changed our perspective has.

The economic situation in the US also illustrates how deeply interdependent we are. With nonessential businesses closed it has become crystal clear. Small businesses are struggling without their customers while consumers must find new ways to navigate life without all of the usual resources. However, communities are coming together and supporting one another. I think our nature of interdependence creates relationships and bonds so that even though the need for support is no longer mutual- ie a hairdresser needs clients for income but right now clients don’t NEED a haircut- we still provide for one another.

I hope once the pandemic passes our appreciation for essential workers remains and our interdependence is more visible than before.

Web of Interdependence

June 1, 2020 / teeuwens / 1 Comment

Within the last century, as a result of globalization, communities have become more connected, and consequently more dependent on each other. Interdependence is part of every sector of society, and on an individual level part of every aspect of my life: whether it is food that I eat, the education I receive, or the healthcare that is available to me. Interdependence involves every living being on this planet, including the planet itself – though not every individual might consciously recognize that they are a part in the web of interdependence. I believe Parker Palmer explained it in an eloquent manner: interdependence means that individuals are “dependent on and accountable to one another” (as referred to on the Global Solidarity and Local Actions website). Specifically the accountability is an important factor to consider. Individuals are not only responsible for issues in their own communities, but through the web of interdependence also for issues in other communities that individuals indirectly contribute to. As a result of this interdependence, injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere.

Throughout my life, I have become a product of this web of interdependence, as I have been influenced by various cultures, communities, places, and peoples. First of all, having grown up in the Netherlands, I believe Dutch culture has been partly influenced by its colonial past, trade (in goods, but also trade in ideas), and European integration. Besides interdependence in the Netherlands, I have been influenced by many cultures and peoples after coming to the United States for college. I think through learning from another, and with one another, I have become more interdependent. Additionally, through study abroad experiences, I have further interacted with different communities in different places, from Bologna, Italy to various places in India. All these experiences have made me realize how every living being is involved in the web of interdependence – perhaps even more than I have ever realized, or will ever be able to comprehend.

The XYZs of Interdependence

May 31, 2020 / merinorc / 2 Comments

Interdependence refers to the actions of a group of people and its effects on another, who are separated by something, whether it be distance, culture, or other relevant differences. These effects can be positive or negative and they may be significant or less-so. In thinking about how interdependence affects me specifically, visualizing interdependence as a 3-dimensional web of interactions is helpful.

If observed on an XYZ grid, the X-axis refers to physical distance, the Y-axis to cultural distance and the Z-axis refers to historical distance. This streamlines the thought-process behind the ways that I am a product of interdependence. At point zero would be myself, with all of the privileges and disadvantages that affect my livelihood at a current point in time (in 2020).

So, here I am, sitting at my parent’s dining room table eating home-made lentil soup with a prepackaged piece of naan. At the first level, there is a chain of farmers, factory workers, transportation workers, designers and engineers (among other professionals) to thank for even being able to cook in an efficient and healthy manner from home. Additionally, scientific advancements such as the development of vaccines, medicines and psychological treatments allow me to live in a relatively enjoyable way.

On a second level, I like to place the socio-political phenomena that affect me until now. From the civil rights movements and the riots for LGBTQ rights in the 60s, to my parents’ advocacy for my US citizenship in the early 2000s, my rights and responsibilities are a product of decades upon decades of hard work by other minority groups. Of course, the same can be said about the disadvantages when keeping in mind white supremacy and the patriarchy. Nevertheless, interdependence is an important concept to keep in mind as we move-forward with actions intended to make a change because it forces us to think about how these actions can affect others in the future.