Passion, paternalism, and politics: DIY development and independent volunteers in Honduras

ABSTRACT

Independent development volunteers (IDVs) and their DIY development projects, although largely neglected in the literature, are part of an emerging movement of non-traditional agents within development. However, they are also participants in a deeply paradoxical industry; both a reflection of passion and commitment, and a paternalist and neo-colonial practice that reflects the messy realities of geo-political and cultural power and privilege. This article explores these debates, drawing on research with IDVs in Honduras. The intersection of passion, paternalism, and politics highlights the complex environments in which IDVs work, and the need to make them visible in discussions of development.

Les volontaires de développement indépendants et leurs projets « Do it Yourself » (DIY) bien que largement ignorés par la littérature, font partie d'un mouvement émergent d'agents non-traditionnels dans les activités de développement. Cependant, ils sont en même temps associés à un secteur profondément paradoxal ; à la fois une réflexion de la passion et de l'engagement, et une pratique paternaliste et néocoloniale qui reflète les réalités confuses du pouvoir et des privilèges géopolitiques et culturels. Cet article explore ces débats, en s'appuyant sur la recherche sur les DIY au Honduras. Le croisement de la passion, du paternalisme et de la politique met en lumière les environnements complexes dans lesquels les DIY fonctionnent, et la nécessité de les rendre visibles dans les discussions autour du développement.

Aunque en la literatura han sido poco estudiados, quienes participan como voluntarios independientes en el área de desarrollo (vid) y sus proyectos de desarrollo basados en el bricolaje, forman parte del emergente movimiento de agentes no tradicionales en esta área. Por otra parte, los mismos participan en una industria profundamente paradójica, en la que, además de externar pasión y compromiso, ejercen prácticas paternalistas y neocoloniales que reflejan las incómodas realidades del poder, así como los privilegios geopolíticos y culturales. Considerando investigaciones centradas en los vid en Honduras, el presente artículo aborda las polémicas suscitadas por esta situación. En este sentido, la combinación de pasión, paternalismo y política da cuenta del complejo entorno de trabajo de los vid, y de la necesidad de visibilizarlos en las discusiones sobre desarrollo.

KEYWORDS:

• Civil society – NGOs
• Social sector
• Globalisation (inc trade
• private sector)
• Labour and livelihoods – Migration
• Latin America and the Caribbean

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Anne-Meike Fechter and the participants in the 2015 Singapore Workshop on Development Volunteering for the insightful and constructive conversations which contributed to the development of this paper. I would also like to thank projecthonduras.com and the volunteers and others in Honduras who contributed to this research. Finally, thanks to Professor Regina Scheyvens and Sharon Bell for their insightful comments and proof-reading of this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Sharon McLennan is a lecturer in International Development at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. She holds a PhD in Development Studies, and has research interests in international volunteering, and ICT and social media for development.

Notes

1 Projecthonduras.com was one of the earliest and longest-lived examples of internet-based peer-to-peer collaboration in development. The networking used a website, Yahoo group forums, Facebook, and an annual conference to connect IDVs, PDIs, and others interested in helping Honduras, both inside and outside Honduras, with each other and with needs in Honduras. The network did not have a formalised membership, rather it was created as a space for individuals to find and connect with each other. The dispersed and online nature of the wider network made it difficult to ascertain the exact numbers of participants; however, my research indicated that about 75% of participants in the projecthonduras.com network were IDVs.

2 All names are pseudonyms and some details have been modified to protect participant identities.