Organic Volunteering: Exploring Understandings and Meanings of Experience by Maggie Miller A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Recreation and Leisure Studies Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2012 © Maggie Miller 2012 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Volunteer tourism, a sub-sector of the tourism industry, is growing at an accelerated pace subsequently creating socio-cultural, political, cultural, and environmental impacts. Current tourism literature suggests volunteer tourism provides opportunities for participants to facilitate building relationships with like-minded volunteers and encourages consciousness-raising experiences (McGehee & Santos, 2005). Furthermore, volunteer tourism has been shown to foster cross-cultural understanding between participants and hosts (Raymond & Hall, 2008; McIntosh & Zahra, 2008). However, researchers question the laudable aims of volunteer tourism; indicating the presence of this type of tourism creates social and power struggles within local destination communities (Guttentag, 2009, Sin, 2010). Higgins-Desbiolles (2006) claims the transformative capacities of tourism are overshadowed by industry attributes of tourism. To use tourism as a positive engine for social, cultural, environmental, and political change, it would be necessary to promote touristic experiences that encompass a transformative ethos. My exploration of organic volunteering within this thesis illuminates the transformative capacities of these touristic experiences and contributes to the expanding horizons of volunteer tourism literature. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores experiences of organic volunteering and what these experiences mean to the volunteers. Gadamer’s (2004) hermeneutic phenomenology provided me the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the meaning of organic volunteering experiences studied in Argentina. Using interviews and participation observation, I explored meanings of organic volunteering, while I also considered volunteers’ historicity, or pre- iii understandings, of these experiences. Data analysis revealed the emergent essential structure of “Opening to living in interconnectedness.” Interconnectedness within organic volunteering is embodied in six essences of reconnecting, exchanging knowledge, being in nature, bonding with others, consciousness-raising, and transforming. My research reinforces what many organizations’ claim; volunteer experiences improve global citizenship and participants desire to become more involved in future activism upon their return home. iv Acknowledgements I offer a warm and heartfelt thank you to those who supported and continue to support me unconditionally in my academic pursuits. Though, I believe words often fall short when expressing my gratitude towards these individuals, I will attempt to display my appreciation by acknowledging them, as I could not have completed this thesis without each them. Thank you to the knowledgeable and helpful faculty and staff in the Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies and the Department of Geography & Environmental Management. I feel privileged to have worked with each and every one of you. To the professors who inspired me to pursue my interests in the classroom and beyond, you’ve pushed me many steps closer to achieving my dream. Thank you. Thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Heather Mair. Without your initial suggestion to apply to Waterloo (despite the expired application deadline), I may have never landed a seat in your office. Even more so, your critical thinking and academic rigour has challenged me, in the best of ways, allowing me to blossom into an aspiring researcher. Heather, thank you for believing in my project and guiding me through the moments when I thought the end was nowhere in sight. I would not have been able to navigate this thesis without the inspiring in-class experiences of Dr. Susan Arai’s qualitative methodologies course. Furthermore, allowing me to lecture-crash your course as a second year MA was truly appreciated. Sue, your constant “sue-pport” does not go unnoticed and your phenomenological expertise has been critical to my development. Thank you. v Thank you to the graduate chair, Dr. Troy Glover and the wise advice of Tracy Taves and Sandy De Visser, as an American, without your guidance I would not have been able to navigate the ins and outs of this Canadian institution successfully. To my colleagues, thank you. It’s almost hard to believe two years came and went. Many of you are now considered some of my closest friends and my achievements would have never been possible without your constant encouragement both inside and outside of the office. The formation of all of the extra-curricular clubs provided me with a much needed work-play life balance. In particular, without clubs such as the CJAM Runners, Shetland Scotties, and YPS, I am uncertain if sanity would have been achievable. Speaking to the bouts with insanity, a special thanks goes out to Janet “J Scotch” McKnown for helping me remain POPT through all of this; friends for at least 3 more years (even when I don’t know your last name). Thank you. A special thanks to Tourism Cares. I am truly honoured to be the one chosen to receive your academic research scholarship. Your financial contribution and the Tourism Cares workshop in Vegas, reminds me why the work we do is so important. Thank you. I also acknowledge coffee, your energy is irreplaceable. Additionally, without a place to indulge in this beloved addiction, I would be without a thesis. To Seven Shores Café, thank you for not charging me rental space fees, and a special thank you to the lovely, and smiling staff. To the individuals who opened their farms to my study and to all who shared their experiences with me, I am much indebted to you and forever grateful. Despite being there for research, I believe I met each and every one of you for so many more reasons. vi Spending time with you in Argentina has enriched my life in unexplainable ways. Thank you. To my lovely editors: Jill, Ty, and mom, thank you probably doesn’t cover it. Jillian Young, I especially appreciate that you stepped up to the plate last minute. Your London, UK lifestyle was well suited for finali’z’ing the edit changes from American English to British English. Thank you. Tyler Plante, without you I would have been lost. Thank you for being my light, emulating the vibrations necessary for the completion of this thesis. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Mom, you are the most patient and dedicated editor in the world. Through this process we have grown a beautiful relationship. Thank you for your unconditional love and last-minute pep-talk, as they revived my drive to keep going. I love you. Love and gratitude to my beautiful, large, and education-driven family – Kimberly, Nicholas, Michael, and Molly – without you leading the way, I may never have shot for the moon. Thanks for providing me with the academic inspiration; forever students. Also, Mom and Dad, thanks for always believing in education, without your initial push none of this would have been possible. Finally, to the kind-hearted Michael Nolan from the Washington D.C. area, thank you! You are truly an honest and honourable soul and without you my research would have been lost in the subway forever. You are my MA thesis saviour. vii Table of Contents Chapter One: My Pre-understandings (Introduction) 1 Purpose statement and research questions 6 Significance of the Study 7 Chapter Two: Related literature 9 Tourism in the Global South 10 Alternative Tourism 13 The want for an alternative 13 Alternative offerings 14 Critical review of alternative tourism 16 Volunteer Tourism 18 The Volunteers 20 Volunteer motivations 21 The ‘Other’ 23 Socio-cultural Impacts of Volunteer Tourism 25 Impacts on volunteers 26 Impacts on host-guest relationships 27 Volunteering on Organic Farms 32 Farm tourism 32 The WWOOF phenomenon 35 Chapter Three: Methodology 39 Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research in Tourism Studies 39 Gadamer’s Hermeneutics 42 Methodological considerations 44 Chapter Four: My Approach (Research Procedures) 48 Data Collection 51 Participant observation and reflexive participation 51 Active interviews 52 Volunteer interviews 54 Host interviews 56 Method considerations 57 Ethical considerations 58 Data Management 60 Data Analysis and Interpretation 62 In the beginning 63 My Analysis Approach 68 Identifying my pre-understandings 68 Remaining open - Bildung 70 Immersion 73 Preliminary understanding 74 Understanding 74 Fusion of horizons 77 Illumination 81 viii Chapter Five: Findings and Discussion 88 Underlying essences 88 Volunteer’s historicity 88 Reconnecting: Experiencing what was 93 Discussion 98 Exchanging knowledge: Experiencing teaching, learning, and sharing 100 Discussion 107 Experiencing harmony: Being in touch with nature 110 Discussion 116 Building bonds: Experiencing human connection 119 Discussion 123 Consciousness-rasinging experiences: Creating awareness for future activism 126 Discussion 132 Transformation: Experiencing growth 134 Discussion 138 The essential structure – Opening to living in interconnectedness 140 Experiences of interconnectedness 144 Chapter Six: Reflections and concluding thoughts