A new framework: non-Western perspectives on international volunteering

Abstract

International volunteering has typically been conceived as a Western sociocultural phenomenon. Within this paper, we aim to apply a non-Western lens to the development of a conceptual framework, through which to consider an alternative perspective on international volunteering. We highlight how, increasingly, non-Western countries are a place that not only hosts international volunteers but also sends volunteers abroad. Using the notions of solidarity, respect and equality, we illustrate the complexities and nuances of what non-Western international volunteering involves. This paper serves as a point of departure for a deeper assessment of the conceptualization of international volunteering from non-Western perspectives that recognize these will be different from Western perspectives, even in an era of globalization partially driven by international volunteering.