Sisterhood partnerships for conflict-related sexual violence

Accessorizing development: Fundraising bracelets for International Development as a New Development Responsibility

“…Ultimately, through our analysis focusing on gendered and racialized discourses in NDRs and compassionate consumption as called for by Budabin and Hudson (2020) and Kipp and Hawkins (2019), we suggest that a 'White Woman Saviour Complex' can be observed in the 'accessorization' of ID. Our analysis shows that while there is a feminization of compassionate consumption, it is not all women who are targeted as the main consumers or who are the primary founders in these campaigns but it is White women.…”

“…Firstly, the structure of FBID campaigns only promotes one form of ID action: individual consumption. Similar to critiques by Kipp and Hawkins (2019), Richey and Ponte (2011, 2014, Olwig (2021) and Budabin and Hudson (2020) A further critique is that it is unknown what kind of awareness is being raised in NDR campaigns (see Hawkins, 2012b;, which is particularly problematic for FBID campaigns since awareness raising is clearly a main goal of many. The centring of consumers' actions and aesthetics as well as relying on awareness of ID to be raised through literal accessories can thus prohibit more substantial action around solidarity due to the focus on consumer identity, trends and awareness as 'action'.…”

“…In Budabin and Hudson's (2020) analysis of sisterhood partnerships, they noted that the ID products and organizations used stereotypical images of women conforming to gender normative roles in their promotional materials.…”

“…In this research, we highlight that not everyone is able to engage with NDRs in the same way, or at all. Different actors, be they consumers, beneficiaries or social entrepreneurs, are framed and enrolled in these campaigns in different ways, often using gendered and/or racialized tropes of victims and saviours (Budabin & Hudson, 2020; Pailey, 2019).…”

“…First, we review recent literature on business in ID with a specific focus on the feminized and gendered discourses commonly used in many fundraising/consumption campaigns. We then incorporate conceptualizations of the 'White Saviour Complex' (WSC), White gaze and White Man's Burden as they relate to marketized ID practices to better address the intersection of race and 'sisterhood partnerships' in NDRs (as called for by Budabin & Hudson, 2020).…”