Challenging indifference to extreme poverty : Southern perspectives on global citizenship and change

Abstract

Canadian universities are expanding opportunities for students to travel, study, volunteer and work abroad for academic credit, especially in “developing countries.” It is widely assumed that exposure to extreme poverty through short-term placements overseas will make young Canadians and other Northerners into “global citizens” who would by definition be incapable of indifference to the lack of freedom that accompanies extreme poverty. This paper asks whether it is warranted for Northerners to attain a claim to global citizenship via this mechanism, especially in light of the impact on Southern organizations who host young people from Canada and elsewhere.