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The criticism of child sponsorship: A way to preoccupy the minds of academics or a concern for the future of development?

Åkesson, Clara LU (2021) STVK12 20211
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This research provides an overview of some of the frequently occurring themes in discussion of academic criticism toward child sponsorship with Swedish sponsorship staff. The study aims to provide a deeper understanding of child sponsorship, their purpose, and critique, than the one that can be draw from the existing literature which remains largely detached to the perspectives of the people on the ground. This thesis will work as a bridge between academia and civil society organisations in the discussion of child sponsorship programmes. This is an exploratory researched using the qualitative method of semi-structured and structured interviews with six different Swedish organisations that are currently working, or previously has worked,... (More)
This research provides an overview of some of the frequently occurring themes in discussion of academic criticism toward child sponsorship with Swedish sponsorship staff. The study aims to provide a deeper understanding of child sponsorship, their purpose, and critique, than the one that can be draw from the existing literature which remains largely detached to the perspectives of the people on the ground. This thesis will work as a bridge between academia and civil society organisations in the discussion of child sponsorship programmes. This is an exploratory researched using the qualitative method of semi-structured and structured interviews with six different Swedish organisations that are currently working, or previously has worked, with child sponsorship. The study is informed by the most commonly occurring theories in the critical literature of child sponsorship: neo-colonialism, neoliberalism, and post-humanitarianism. The result of this study shows that organisations engaged more with the older critique of child sponsorship and less with the most modern stands of critique. How organisation engaged with the critique depend on their definitions of poverty. The greatest strength of child sponsorship, according to informants, is their ability to generate solidarity between people, something the literature does not address. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Åkesson, Clara LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20211
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Child sponsorship programs, poverty, neocolonialism, neoliberalism, post-humanitarianism, staff interviews, depoliticization
language
English
id
9054176
date added to LUP
2021-09-07 11:07:20
date last changed
2021-09-07 11:07:20
@misc{9054176,
  abstract     = {{This research provides an overview of some of the frequently occurring themes in discussion of academic criticism toward child sponsorship with Swedish sponsorship staff. The study aims to provide a deeper understanding of child sponsorship, their purpose, and critique, than the one that can be draw from the existing literature which remains largely detached to the perspectives of the people on the ground. This thesis will work as a bridge between academia and civil society organisations in the discussion of child sponsorship programmes. This is an exploratory researched using the qualitative method of semi-structured and structured interviews with six different Swedish organisations that are currently working, or previously has worked, with child sponsorship. The study is informed by the most commonly occurring theories in the critical literature of child sponsorship: neo-colonialism, neoliberalism, and post-humanitarianism. The result of this study shows that organisations engaged more with the older critique of child sponsorship and less with the most modern stands of critique. How organisation engaged with the critique depend on their definitions of poverty. The greatest strength of child sponsorship, according to informants, is their ability to generate solidarity between people, something the literature does not address.}},
  author       = {{Åkesson, Clara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The criticism of child sponsorship: A way to preoccupy the minds of academics or a concern for the future of development?}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}