| Description |
252 pages ; 23 cm |
| Summary |
"This captivating volume dives into the complexities of racism and White Saviorism in North/South relations. With contributions from 19 experts across the Global South, this book examines its prevalence within Western initiatives for international development. Through a blend of theoretical topics, testimonies, stories and personal experiences these contributors shed light on implicit as well as explicit forms of White Saviorism - all with sensitivity to broaden an understanding through multi-dimensional approaches that truly transcend borders." -- Provided by publisher |
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"The 2020 WE Charity scandal in Canada revealed more than collusion in the attribution of federal funds. It shone a spotlight on the pervasiveness of the white savior complex in international volunteerism. We Charity sends thousands of young Canadians on three-week trips to build and maintain schools in African countries, accomplishing basic tasks like repainting walls or moving bricks around. Observers argued that these trips could have easily been replaced or better served by local workforces. "White saviorism" is defined as a posture whereas aid initiatives are led by benevolent white people to help racialized ones, but in a self-serving manner. It is enacted by charitable actors who reinforce the victimization of aid-receiving populations and the moral superiority of white Western ones. As Franz Fanon (1970) said, white people's subjectivity is always confirmed, whereas non-whites are victimized and de-rationalized (Fanon, 1970). Nigerian novelist Teju Cole (2012) qualifies WSC as "an emotional experience that validates privilege." While white saviorism has been defined in various disciplines and by African practitioners, development studies scholars insufficiently integrate race and colonial variables into empirical studies (Pailey 2020). Researchers have addressed and defined white saviorism or the WSC as it relates to education (Straubhaar 2015; Frey 2016), cinema studies (Hughey 2014; Maurantonio 2017), tourism (Mostafanezhad 2013; Bandyopadhyay 2019), volunteerism (Lough and Carter-Black 2015; Gdalman 2020), feminism (Benhadjoudja 2018; Bandyopadhyay 2017), and especially race studies (Mahrouse 2014; Heron 2007; Willer 2019). In those areas, the concept of white saviorism has served as a powerful catalyst to guide empirical research and, by doing so, has enabled a productive conversation. Development scholars also analyzed power relationships between historically colonized and colonizing countries, but only rarely with the concept of white saviorism. If some scholars have criticized systemic racism in/by aid organizations (Goudge 2003; Kothari 2006), only a few analyzed development as a white endeavor (cf White 2002; Loftsdóttir 2009; Pierre 2020). And despite their pioneering work, these topics remain on the margin of mainstream as well as critical development studies. This proposed edited volume aims to remedy this shortcoming by asking: how can we conceptualize and assess the prevalence of the white savior complex in Western development initiatives in the Global South? Uniting scholars and practitioners from around the world, this book will address white saviorism as one of the perennial underbelly challenges of the global development aid industry. The introduction by Kanakulya and Sondarjee will first develop the conceptual building blocks to understand white saviorism in international development. Section 1 will then address various theoretical issues such as false consciousness of white saviors, epistemological marginalization of black expertise, Islamophobia, and the links between whiteness and patriarchy. Section 2 will present personal accounts of how practitioners in the Global South have experienced white saviorism first-hand. The conclusion, written by Themrise Khan, will explore the implications of white saviorism for the future of international development practices. Overall, this book will analyze how development practices can undermine voices in the Global South and perpetuate a harsh myth of white superiority. The innovative chapters it encompasses will serve as a basis for more empirical work on white savior practices in international development."-- Provided by publisher |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references |
| Subject |
White people -- Developing countries
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White people -- Psychology
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Privilege (Social psychology) -- Developing countries
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Voluntarism -- Developing countries
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Economic assistance -- Developing countries
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Economic development -- Developing countries
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| Author |
Khan, Themrise, editor
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Dickson, Kanakulya, editor
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Sondarjee, Maïka, editor
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| ISBN |
9781990263187 (softcover) |
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1990263186 (softcover) |
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