The stark reality of the ‘White Saviour’ complex and the need for critical consciousness: a document analysis of the early journals of a Freirean educator

Straubhaar, Rolf

doi:10.1080/03057925.2013.876306

Cited by 74 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In other words, individual and community well-being is harmed via the White Savior Industrial Complex. This complex involves the assumption, usually implied and unspoken, that White people from the Global North are smarter, better prepared, and more educated to solve issues such as those often faced by people living in the Global South (Ashdown and Buck 2018;Belcher 2016;Bex and Craps 2016;Jailani 2016;Straubhaar 2014).…”

Section: The Ethics Of International Aidmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potentially Damaging Effects of Developmental Aid and Voluntourism on Cultural Capital and Well-Being

Ashdown

Dixe

Talmage

2020

Int. Journal of Com. WB

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In this perspective article, we argue that too often, foreign and developmental aid devolves into a form of imperialism and colonialism that we more fully define in the article. We believe that aided communities and community members are often expected (or required) to change their own cultural ways of living to continue receiving the aid or support they have been offered and may need. Ironically, the need for this aid is often driven by the way the aid is provided, creating potential cycles of imperialism and dependency, which can negatively impact individual and community well-being. Fortunately, better practices and ethical guidelines are available to direct the ways that both providers and receiverscommunities and individualsof aid are fully engaged in the process to ensure that all people benefit while being able to continue to live according to their own cultural worldviews. This perspective article provides our ideas about better practices and ethical guidelines for how community development professionals, psychologists, and other behavioral scientists who engage in international aid (in any of its forms) do so in ethical and appropriate ways. Keywords Ethical foreign aid. Imperialism. Neo-colonialism. Voluntourism. Cultural psychology Being generous often consists of simply extending a hand. That's hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your righteousness, your belief system, your superiority, your assumptions about others, your definition of normal.-Patti Digh

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Section: The Ethics Of International Aidmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potentially Damaging Effects of Developmental Aid and Voluntourism on Cultural Capital and Well-Being

Ashdown

Dixe

Talmage

2020

Int. Journal of Com. WB

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“…Straubhaar [19] identifies saviourism as an important consideration for adult educators working in the Global South. He argues that developing a "critical consciousness" is an essential task for reflective educators who wish to challenge their own preconceptions and the privileges associated with being racialised-as-white.…”

Section: Global Citizenship Education and The Hero Narrative: Politicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging the Hero Narrative: Moving towards Reparational Citizenship Education

Walsh

2020

Societies

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In his book, No More Heroes: Grassroots Challenges to the Savior Mentality, Jordan Flaherty claims the saviour mentality exists when “you want to help others but are not open to guidance from those you want to help”. According to Flaherty, the adoption of this mentality results in charitable activities at individual and community levels without broader systemic change, leaving unjust power relations unaddressed. He argues that this mentality is underpinned by racism, colonialism and capitalism, as well as an unethical and historically problematic understanding of charity. With reference to the ongoing partnership work between Scotland and Malawi, this article summarises a conceptual investigation into the possibility that Global Citizenship Education perpetuates the hero narrative. Historical, political and educational research is connected to Bhabha’s theory of cultural hybridity to conceptualise a theory of Reparational Citizenship Education, in contrast to the “reciprocal” approach favoured by policy makers and charitable organisations in Scotland. It is argued that this conceptual shift involves taking the hero narrative to task and that this approach has theoretical and practical implications for the future of Global Citizenship Education.

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“…• Provide a historical and social overview of hegemonic national and regional politics, and engage in a critical discussion of hot-topic issues through various Indigenous perspectives (e.g., see Breidlid, 2017). • Encourage sojourners to respond to issues in the spirit of collaboration and learning, rather than as an effort to save, tokenize, or rescue Indigenous peoples (Straubhaar, 2015). • Provide an overview of the different forms of governance, capitalisms, and racializations in the destination, probing where decision making and power centres lie and how discourses intersect.…”

Section: Deconstructing Ruling Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Decolonizing Framework for Pre-Departure Education

Mizzi

2020

cie-eci

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In light of the increasing mobility of people for study and employment purposes and the fact that Indigenous groups continue to be marginalized across the globe, this article introduces a tentative framework for adult educators or facilitators to decolonize their pre-departure orientations for workers or learners who plan to live in a different country. Drawing on Indigenous education principles, the framework consists of three guiding principles that intersect with one another: (1) Indigenizing teaching practice, (2) deconstructing ruling relations, and (3) promoting reflexivity, mutual respect, and understanding. Challenges to implementing this framework include organizational requirements to maintain a Western dominance in their pre-departure programs.

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The stark reality of the ‘White Saviour’ complex and the need for critical consciousness: a document analysis of the early journals of a Freirean educator

Cited by 74 publications

References 19 publications

The Potentially Damaging Effects of Developmental Aid and Voluntourism on Cultural Capital and Well-Being

The Potentially Damaging Effects of Developmental Aid and Voluntourism on Cultural Capital and Well-Being

Challenging the Hero Narrative: Moving towards Reparational Citizenship Education

Towards a Decolonizing Framework for Pre-Departure Education

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