And in my Head I Paint a Picture : The Role of Development Volunteering Organizations in the Othering of States in the Global South

Abstract: The focus of the Bachelor thesis is to analyze how states in the Global South are being othered by states in the Global North that fund international development volunteering (IDV). A focus is put on states that fund IDV as part of their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. For this purpose, relevant literature from critical tourism studies, research on IDV and critical as well as postcolonial approaches to international volunteering are being introduced. This builds the basis for conducting a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of data from four IDV organizations’ websites. The sources to be analyzed are the descriptions of countries in the Global South on two websites and the pictures on the websites of four organizations.  From this data collection three themes emerge in the discussion: Othering based on socio-demographic aspects - like gender, race and age - normative aspects and the representation of places. All three aspects contribute to the othering of places and people in the Global South through international development volunteering.