Community as Gift-Giving: Collectivistic Roots of Volunteerism

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. American Sociological Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Sociological Review. Who in America volunteers what and why?And what impact does volunteering have? It is widely believed that the typical volunteer is middle-aged and middleclass and that volunteerism is rooted in American cultural individualism. Undocumented and unexplored are collectivistic roots of giving, which may have a different social base than individualistc-grounded volunteerism. Characteristics of collectivistic-rooted volunteerism, conditions under which it transpires, and group and community effects of such giving are explored here. The analysis is based on ethnographic research in a predominantly "old immigrant" working-class inner-ring suburb. Collectivistic-rooted volunteerism is shown to be community-embedded and to have group, community, and class stratifying effects. A PPROXIMATELY HALF of all AAmericans claim to volunteer time and money to a cause. Such charity is typically thought to be a personal, discretionary matter, rooted in American cultural individualism (e.g., Wuthnow 1991:23). This conception, however, ignores collectivistic bases of giving. Collectivistic-based volunteerism involves acts of generosity that groups (rather than individuals) initiate, inspire, and oversee; individuals participate because of their group ties. As an ideal-typical construct, collectivistic volunteerism has characteristics that distinguish it from individualisticgrounded volunteerism. Although in practice the two types of volunteerism may be intertwined, in principle each has distinct roots, dynamics, and impacts.First, in the case of collectivistic-rooted volunteerism, groups (organizations, institutions) coordinate the activity and determine what is given, when, how, to whom, and why. The giving may be associated with the group's raison d'etre, or result from group embeddedness or leadership initiative. Second, collectivistic-rooted volunteerism is group-induced regardless of the reasons members individually have for giving. Groups legitimate and sanction, and compel and reward, the volunteerism they promote. Third, collectivistic-grounded volunteerism involves group resources or group-mobilized resources, which may be monetary, labor, or in-kind goods. The resources may also be symbolic, bestowing legitimacy, honor, or moral support. Fourth, collectivisticgrounded giving is bounded by group norms and networks. And fifth, collectivisticgrounded giving has group effects, which may differ from the reasons groups give. The giving may enhance the stature of a group or its leadership, set in motion or reinforce intergroup chains of reciprocity and expectations of...

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