The Ethics of International Community Service: Narrative, Philosophy, & Education as Solutions

This thesis aims to define a set of ethical relations amongst volunteers involved in short-term, international service programs. Key to this analysis is understanding how narrative can be harnessed as a tool for the realization of this set of ethical relations. The definition of ethical relations will be clarified via engagement with Merleau-Ponty, Levinas, and narrative theorists. A philosophical breakdown of two fundamental aspects of narrative—language and intersubjectivity respectively—will shed light on why narrative offers a uniquely nuanced solution to improving both the quality and efficacy of service.

The power of narrative in general to better communication, relationships, and understanding between individuals, has been studied by academics in a diverse array of fields. Relevant to this line of study is examining the ethics of how external assistance (i.e. charities, NGO work, etc.) reaches resource-lacking communities. While much research has already been conducted in the realm of community-based research, these studies tend to focus on large-scale problems with how service is conducted. They therefore do not effectively address the specifics of solution development. As an important aspect of my contribution to existing scholarship, this project attempts to merge anthropology, philosophy, and narrative theory, in order to understand the more fundamental components of an ethical set of relations in service—paving the way for more robust ethical improvement strategies in the future.

Analysis ensues via 1) an anthropological, community-based research project, specifically examining an interventional case study with an NGO in Vietnam, and 2) a re-examination of philosophical works, primarily focused on Merleau-Ponty and Levinas. Thus, concrete interview and observational data, alongside a more abstract philosophical examination, creates a nuanced space for ethical inquiry, and ultimately, ethical improvement.

The final chapters of this thesis specify the value and impact of narrative, specifically in the context of education-focused, international NGO work. I coin the term “narrative education” to more precisely describe and study a mode of narrative implementations in education: a set of attempts, closely related to those established in the field of narrative medicine, to have participants in service settings more closely attend to narrative in their work, with effects on education itself as a primary goal. Scholars in the community-based service sector, anthropology, philosophy, and literature alike often return to and speak about the conundrum of offering help to resource-lacking communities. Realizing such help can often make it difficult for members of those communities to retain agency and voice. I argue that narrative education is essential to addressing this conundrum, its implications, and associated solutions.

In summary, this thesis provides an experience-based foundation for future, concrete implementations that would improve the ethics of service, in particular, within the context of short-term, international NGO work. The analysis will ensue via defining an ethical set of relations among people involved in service, as defined through narrative, philosophy, and anthropological field research in Vietnam.