The orphan and the saviour- a relationship of love, gratitude and commodities : A critical discourse analysis of the construction of the narrative about the helper and the orphanage child.

Sammanfattning: This study explores the construction of the orphanage child and the helper in the context of voluntourism, orphanage tourism, support and establishment of orphanages. Since residential care is rarely put forward as a “good solution” for children without parental care in Sweden or other Western countries, the purpose of this study is to understand how orphanages for children from the South are legitimised as a solution in narratives about the helpers and the orphans. Through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) I have studied the widespread narrative about the helper and the orphan and its relation to larger global development strands, such as neo-liberal discourses, post-colonial discourses and globalization discourses. The study found that the narratives about the helper and the orphanage child are constructed in a way that reinforces stereotypes about the active, caring helper from the global North and the passive and needy yet happy orphanage child from the South. The underlying assumption in the testimonials and stories about the helper is that there are no other options and that the orphanage placement is in the best interest of the child