The Portrayal of Orphanage Voluntourism in the Global South : A Critical Discourse Analysis of Two Voluntourism Websites Under Human Rights Aspects

Abstract: Orphanage volunteering in the Global South has experienced worldwide criticism in recent years as children’s rights violations have surfaced. This thesis examines the discourse of two organizations (“Global Crossroad” and“uVolunteer) that still offer orphanage voluntourism and assesses in what ways they display neo-colonial characteristics on their websites. The theoretical framework entails Said’s Orientalism, development aid critiques, and colonial discourse theorizing to contextualize interpretations. With Fairclough’s CDA method, this thesis aims to highlight how orphanage voluntourism is portrayed and how it may influence addressees to engage in short-term help, contributing to perpetuating orphanage voluntourism and its negative effects as well as unequal power structures. The CDA findings indicate the discourse primarily benefits the organizations, which profit from the erection of neocolonial power structures and ideological “truths” about the Global South, which are not in the best interest of the children. Finally, this thesis discusses the social implications of this discourse promotion and ways to improve child protection.