Social ascension through the language of the powerful

Learning English is another significant advantage of the volunteer tourism commonly mentioned by the local. Having a native English speaker in the orphanage or the host family, allows kids to improve their English. Mastering English has both utilitarian and symbolic functions. On the one hand, it is considered as an asset, opening many opportunities to have better employment in the future and make good money. People fluent in English could work in tourism or many other domains. On the other hand, speaking excellent English is associated with being intellectual and educated, a form of “distinction”

(Bourdieu, 1990). In her study of the perception of English in rural Peru, Nino-Murcia (2003, p.122) argues that:

Chapitre 5.Beyond the smile: The infrapolitics of the host in a Nepalese orphanage

“ The perception of the English language as the strongest linguistic currency in today's society, or more pointedly, as an equivalent of the American dollar, as something that needs to be attained in order to participate as a consumer in the global market, has transformed the study of English from an instructional activity, a tool of learning, into an object of consumption. Consuming English by watching movies, using the internet, listening to CNN or reading any kind of literature in English has become a sign of sophistication, "distinction" an accumulation of a particular form of cultural capital”.

In a caste and class society like Nepal, the poor, oppressed and marginalized have little chance to improve their social and economic situation. Education appears as a mean to overcome the old stratifications through an economic valorization of higher human capital and to be recognized in the Nepalese today society. Padam, another local host, offers a good example.

It is better to have volunteers, mmm like a little support, and other side, they (his children) are learning English …You know they spoke in English not like normal people uhm better than they speak …Yeah better than normal people! (Padam, interview)

Padam is a local host who also works in Chitwan. Hosting volunteers provide him with some money to support his family and mainly to provide his children with a better quality education. His wife told me that the money coming from volunteers is reserved for her children’s university fees. In addition to the importance of monetary contribution, Padam narratives show how much he is proud of his kids being fluent in English. He emphasized that his children are better than “normal” Nepalese.

Thus, being fluent in English and being close to the international volunteers’

community helps locals reaching a higher social status in their environment.

Chapitre 5.Beyond the smile: The infrapolitics of the host in a Nepalese orphanage

5.4.Concluding discussion

Nepalese are usually depicted as pacific, smiley and peaceful, even passive people. The “etiquette” of the noble savage, poor but happy, seems to be their

“trade name.” Thus, many volunteer tourists come to visit Nepal to experience this peaceful and very modest way of living.

In this paper, I show that this image is not entirely accurate. Beyond the smile, there is a hidden transcript. This article gives an alternative way to represent local and host community in volunteer tourism business. Scott concept of infrapolitics allowed us to go beyond the traditional binary of host/ guest and challenge the established conceptualization of power relationship.

Overall, resistance is manifested through barriers to entry to real local life;

rebalance of the power relationship, cultural resistance, decision-making, and control. On the other side, hosts take advantage from volunteers both in term of children's social ascension through English mastering as well as money exploitation. In fact, the host has appropriated the capitalist logic of the market.

They become active actors in this theater of volunteer tourism. Hence the proliferation of orphanages in Nepal. This commoditization of the orphanages raised some other ethical issues. For example, the exploitation of children as a tourist attraction. Consequently, this drives the country into children traffic business. According to Unicef “It has been estimated that up to 85% of children in orphanages in Nepal have at least one living parent of two”.

This work is an attempt to understand the local perspective by challenging the established power order. It is the first step and presents some limits, namely the extent of the fieldwork and the language barrier. Further researches are definitively needed to capture the local perspective better.

Chapitre 5.Beyond the smile: The infrapolitics of the host in a Nepalese orphanage

5.5.Reference

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Chapitre 5.Beyond the smile: The infrapolitics of the host in a Nepalese orphanage

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Chapitre 5.Beyond the smile: The infrapolitics of the host in a Nepalese orphanage