Abstract
What are the benefits and limitations of volunteering? What is the relationship between volunteering and activism? How do varying societies balance the impetus to volunteer alongside the support of a strong welfare state? These are just a few questions that Nina Eliasoph addresses in her book The politics of volunteering. In conversational style, Eliasoph debates some of these issues utilizing both historical references as well as present-day scenarios to enrich her argument. Eliasoph argues that despite the “near-sacred” status of the volunteer, recent developments and debates all suggest that volunteer activities are not without their problems and criticisms. Furthermore, volunteering is not devoid of political assumptions and perspectives. She also argues that volunteering exists alongside political activism in the domain of civic engagement. Here, she contends that volunteering can eventually give rise to political activism and alternately, political activism can reject the core values of volunteer activity. All along, Eliasoph presents theoretical concepts, historical events, and cultural symbols that help to expound on her ideas including utopian/dystopian literature, the Occupy movement, and the rise of neoliberalism. Moving from the early history of civic engagement in America to the current globalized notion of civic participation, Eliasoph raises strong questions and points of contention for those interested in critical perspectives of volunteering as well as the oft-neglected link between seemingly neutral volunteer activities and political activism.
In her introduction, she states her opening premise and core questions: “This book opens up the question of how volunteers can do great harm as well as tremendous good. What makes civic life effective? What can kill effective civic life? What brings it to life?” (p. 2). She also provides key concepts that will guide her tour (e.g., government, economy, civic association or nongovernmental organization [NGO], democracy, common sense, questioning injustice).
Most significantly, she offers the views and perspectives of three major historical figures that have shaped what we have come to know about civic participation: Alexis de Tocqueville, Jane Addams, and Emma Goldman. These three represent a wide range of ideas concerning civic association. And yet, all three suggest that civic participation is a useful activity for individuals who care for their societies, and they all assert that democracies benefit from civic participation. Despite their similarities, they present varying versions of how civic participation should be carried out. Tocqueville, Eliasoph notes, advocates that civic association provides individuals with a sense of personal responsibility in building democracy. Meanwhile, Addams suggests that the role of the individual is to not only participate in their communities but also demand that the state fix social problems at their root, thus creating the need for political activism as a result of volunteer activities. Finally, Goldman argues that those in society with more wealth have more power, even in a democracy, and without an assessment of these power relations, civic activity is problematic for democracy. Eliasoph continues to refer to these thinkers throughout the remainder of the text creating a robust discussion concerning the main ideas of each of these key thinkers.
In Chapter 2, Eliasoph deepens her distinction between volunteering and activism highlighting contemporary examples that support the at times cooperative interaction and, alternatively, disagreement between the two activities. She provides definitions suggesting most importantly that political activism requires individuals and groups to “connect the dots.” By this, she means that activists use social critique to unpack the deep and multiple layers that are associated with social problems. While supporting the importance of “connecting the dots,” she also suggests that uncovering multiple layers of social problems may later lead to untenable and unsustainable activist activities. Eliasoph suggests that connecting the dots through activism may alienate activists from the public due to their provocative organizing or even discourage activists as they see the multiple and unending layers of inequity in the systems they wish to change. The result can lead to apathy or disenchantment. Eliasoph includes a variety of sources to bolster her claims—Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s utopian novel Herland, the Civil Rights Movement, specifically, the role of the Freedom Riders, and the theoretical impact of social capital via Robert Putnam. All of these theoretical and cultural references aim to give shape and contour to the nature of civic engagement in both its volunteering and political activism domains including their distinctions and intersections.
In Chapter 3, the discussion shifts to the balancing role that civic associations play with markets and the state. Here, she extends her case from within the United States to other developed nations and specifically Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries. Most notably, she argues that it is difficult to assess whether a strong welfare state causes more citizens to engage in volunteer activities. This notion is continually debated as politicians in certain countries make the argument that less government makes for stronger volunteering and, in turn, stronger economies. States outside of the Western world make very brief appearances here, including a reference to China’s lack of associational activity, despite a growing economy and the Arab Spring which she cites as an example of protests against the “free market.” All in all, these examples help her to open a debate on whether civic engagement can exist alongside a strong welfare state or the challenges of “market fundamentalism”—which, as she comments, is “irrefutable with any data, but based on a fundamental faith in the sanctity of the free market . . . ” (p. 93).
In Chapter 4, the focus is on contemporary NGOs or, in the United States, nonprofit organizations. This is the space where Eliasoph argues that the majority of volunteering takes place. She highlights specific tensions of NGO activity including the clash of noble missions abroad and the fact that seemingly harmless aid still has the potential to produce some political conflict. Interestingly, in this chapter she focuses on nonprofits within the United States as well as NGOs in the developing world. She introduces the term neoliberalism, which she defines as the “economic and political system that tips the Tocquevillian balance all the way over to the market and voluntary sector, and away from government” (p. 126). Using this definition, she identifies neoliberalism with NGO’s current use of empowerment strategies in the development of programs. Empowerment strategies, for Eliasoph, focus on programs that emphasize the centrality of personal responsibility, innovative problem solving, a hands-on approach, transparent practices, and addressing poverty without giving out charity. This strategic approach produces several tensions that nonprofits and NGOs encounter as they work to help others at home and abroad. She spends considerable time discussing each of the tensions. These include organizations neglecting those individuals that may have a hard time understanding the empowerment language of the project, the need for strong documentation in current nonprofit/NGO strategy, and the way in which this need for nonprofits/NGOs to satisfy distant or foreign donors over engaging with local communities prevents understanding and cooperation with distinct cultures, and avoids discussions or thinking about complex social problems in lieu of programs that provide individual support.
The subject of inequality and its impact on volunteering are the focus of Chapter 5. Who is able to spend ample time volunteering? Who has the ability to provide sufficient funding for the development of sustainable, organized, civic associations? What is the role of the media in promoting civic activity? Here she argues that those with more economic power have the avenues to pursue civic activity. She introduces the concept of Astroturf campaigns in which corporations fund their own civic campaigns giving their civic activity a grassroots appearance. Also, she provides some explanations of the role of the media in the promotion of civic engagement and highlights the issue of power and ultimate control of media dissemination. Finally, she argues that today, those with less economic power may be less inclined to share their dissatisfaction concerning important social issues as they are less likely to have access to crucial free spaces that are necessary for them to cultivate their ideas.
The final chapter discusses the strategies that civic associations use as they try to overcome the difficulties that the previous chapters described. She introduces several new forms of civic associations including leaderless groups, corporate social responsibility and fair trade, internet activism, as well as participatory forums for democracy and budgeting. Here she notes that these “new” forms are helping to “open up space for the widest range of viewpoints possible without becoming completely disorganized . . . ” (p. 143). She notes these newer activities as a way to suggest that true empowering civic activity requires “time, money, acknowledgement of complexity and of conflict and a political culture that gives people a big picture in the first place . . . ” (p. 156).
Her conclusion suggests that the new “NGO-ization” (p. 158) is creating volunteer opportunities beyond what Tocqueville envisioned as the ideal, democratically engaged, volunteer. The result of this shift in democratic ideals could result in the creation of several kinds of dystopias. These potential futures include a world in which citizens have shrinking civic power, wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few and not the many, and celebrities take on “pet projects” that only appear empowering. These possible dystopian futures are useful as they construct meaningful ways to think about what we as citizens desire of civic engagement for communities today. As she aptly notes, “we in the twenty-first century know that our decisions and actions will affect future possibilities for life on earth” (p. 166).
Eliasoph’s work provides an insightful and critical “conversation opener” about volunteering. Indeed, despite the title, her work sheds light on the two domains of civic engagement—volunteering and activism. Each domain provides an opportunity for the politicization of social issues. Each domain offers unique outlets for civic expression while sometimes supporting the purposes of the other. The text is written in a way that should elicit debate over these domains and the contested arguments and criticisms that emerge from them both. The strength of The politics of volunteering is its clarity in unpacking complex theories, thinkers, and core concepts associated with civic engagement and civil society. At times, her description of civic activities outside of the Western world is too oversimplified and truncated, and in some instances, her arguments seem too broadly applied. Despite this, Eliasoph effectively provides caveats offering alternative explanations for her various claims. Perhaps most useful for the nonprofit, public affairs, or civic engagement classroom, The politics of volunteering offers a concise articulation of some of the vital issues related to volunteering and activism in the current era.