ANTH 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Gap Year, Neoliberalism, Externalization
1 May 2018
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Department
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Professor
ANTH 212
26 March 2018
The Gap Year
Summary
• Geography of the gap year
• Us/Them
• What kind of development is this?
• The need for enthusiastic youth
o Link with neoliberal discipline and reforms
• Critical analytical tool
No specificity to projects – no local terms
• People come with external view of what projects should be like
• We will try to look at wider contexts: what makes gap year such a meaningful practice?
Geography of the gap year
• Geography that inserts itself in a career – point is to visit and go abroad
o A lot of value being placed on the location of sites where the youth go for their
gap year
• Youth from the North visit the South – can learn by visiting places for CAD minds are
doing exploitation
o See people visiting former colonies
o Distance
o Might be feeling of guilt that makes experience of gap year complex
• Geography laden with inequalities
o Analysis that reaches into larger frames of colonial history = absent
o Siles of hilde alued oe
o Agents/volunteers are getting into discursive practice to make own visit/travels
meaningful
• Taditio of taellig to lea ho the old oks is histoiall deep
o 16th century aristocrats traveling to see ancient art in Italy, trying to find roots of
their own distinctions/learning different forms of arts
o Would distinguish themselves from peasants – way to learn their wealth, show
forms of etiquette
o Practice engrained in higher class education
o Thus taelig epeats the otif of the Gad Tou, aother colonial legacy
• Geography of the gap is year is a historical contingency that is culturally mediated
o Globalization important in shaping how people/youth travel
o Traveling is easier and more democratic – culturally mediated
o Travels as a volunteer are understood/culturally constructed by peers, parents –
issue is about: is there a sense of justice here?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Us/Them
• Looking at the discourses of those who had opportunity to join volunteering project,
dot hae tools to thik aout gloal poet i a stuture
o Instead, poverty is seen as a cultural difference
o Marks a paradox in the era of globalization
▪ Richer people seen as more modern
o People are called poor but happy
▪ Juxtaposes rich people in 1s world
▪ Experience abroad creates new dichotomies where rih people dot get
it
▪ Expression of gratitude that shapes experience of youth that volunteer
• Inequalities are explained by luck
• Absence of critical assessment of the global structures at the roots of socio-economic
inequalities
The ingredients of the Gap Year
• Means of travel (disposable wealth, affordable wealth)
o Relates to globalization
• Fuzz otios of poo outies ad thid old, plus a fous o:
o Traditions/backwardness
o Lack of education
o Barren land
▪ There is concealment/hiding that there are economies that are
interconnected
▪ Social organization of society where there are people able to afford what
goes on in market – others that are not entitled
▪ Soe people dot hae eual etitleets to goods taded o aket
• A distinct moral sensibilit, a desie to help, isplaed ofidee i oes o ailities
o Belief that individually can change the world (neoliberal idea)
o This is how development is framed usually
o Belief that youth will become expert and part of bigger organization
o May have good intentions, but inserts itself in producing level of
expertise/development initiatives
• NGOs ateig to these good itetios
What development can be done?
• By unskilled, but enthusiastic volunteers
• Asking of the focus is on finding technical fix, or if there is a deeper engagement with
structures of inequality
o Can be a tool for people to sort through organizations that adopt one size fits all
model
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The gap year: geography of the gap year, us/them, what kind of development is this, the need for enthusiastic youth, link with neoliberal discipline and reforms, critical analytical tool. Us/them: looking at the discourses of those who had opportunity to join volunteering project, do(cid:374)(cid:859)t ha(cid:448)e tools to thi(cid:374)k a(cid:271)out glo(cid:271)al po(cid:448)e(cid:396)t(cid:455) i(cid:374) a st(cid:396)u(cid:272)ture. Instead, poverty is seen as a cultural difference: marks a paradox in the era of globalization, richer people seen as more modern, people are called poor but happy. Juxtaposes rich people in 1s world: experience abroad creates new dichotomies where ri(cid:272)h people do(cid:374)(cid:859)t get it, expression of gratitude that shapes experience of youth that volunteer. Inequalities are explained by luck: absence of critical assessment of the global structures at the roots of socio-economic inequalities. Idea of alienation smile becomes ingredient/component of volunteering market itself: not something that a child can control. Externalization of development: person part of volunteering project but still holds same prejudicial views.
