Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World

by Anu Taranath

Overview

Every year, hundreds of thousands of young people pack their bags to study or volunteer abroad. Well-intentioned and curious Westerners—brought up to believe that international travel broadens our horizons—travel to low-income countries to learn about people and cultures different from their own. But while travel abroad can provide much-needed perspective, it can also be deeply unsettling, confusing, and discomforting. Travelers can find themselves unsure about how to think or speak about the differences in race or culture they find, even though these differences might have fueled their desire to travel in the first place.

Beyond Guilt Trips helps us to unpack our Western baggage, so that we are better able to understand our uncomfortable feelings about who we are, where we come from, and how much we have. Through engaging personal travel stories and thought-provoking questions about the ethics and politics of our travel, Beyond Guilt Trips shows readers ways to grapple with their discomfort and navigate differences through accountability and connection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771134323
Publisher:	Between the Lines
Publication date:	06/07/2019
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Dr. Anu Taranath is a speaker, facilitator, and educator. As faculty at the University of Washington Seattle, she teaches about global literature, race and equity, and directs study abroad programs on human rights themes. She s received the Seattle Weekly's "Best of Seattle" designation, the University of Washington's Distinguished Teaching Award, and multiple Fulbright fellowships. A consultant known for "pushing the conversation without pushing folks away," she works with people in colleges, libraries, businesses, community organizations, and government agencies to deepen equity, social justice, and global consciousness.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Chapter 1 Before You Buy Your Ticket, Read This 7

Chapter 2 Luggage We Take with Us: Difference and Advantage 31

Chapter 3 Ticket Bought, Part One: Identity, Culture, and Race 59

Chapter 4 Ticket Bought, Part Two: Friendship across Difference 73

Chapter 5 I Thought I Was Here to Look at You: Story Clusters 87

Chapter 6 Limits to the Well-intentioned Desire to Do Good: The Politics of Help 113

Chapter 7 Displace Guilt, Center Dignity, and Breathe: Strategies to Stay Present 141

Chapter 8 Helmet-to-Cheek: Go Small and Find Joy 167

Chapter 9 Goings and Comings in an Unequal World: The Journey Continues 179

Epilogue: Night Here, Morning There 201

Acknowledgements 205

Appendix: Especially for Educators, Program Directors, Leaders, and Coordinators 209

Index 231