Social construction of the arts volunteer : a case in the Singapore Mandarin theatre.
Volunteering is a complex social phenomenon that has been widely studied by scholars across disciplines. Many have contributed to the profile of a volunteer by defining his or her motivations, scope of work and context of volunteering. In this study, however, I am interested in comparing the officia...
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| Format: | Final Year Project |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2011
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44130 |
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| Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | Volunteering is a complex social phenomenon that has been widely studied by scholars across disciplines. Many have contributed to the profile of a volunteer by defining his or her motivations, scope of work and context of volunteering. In this study, however, I am interested in comparing the official discourse of the ‘arts volunteer’ with the self-representations given by arts volunteers in Singapore. My findings suggest youth art volunteers do not consider themselves altruistic contrary to official discourse, instead, they volunteer out of a sense of social obligation and finally, out of their self-interest in volunteering, they seek to experience (time after time) the ‘magic of theatre’. I argue that disjuncture between official discourse and self-representation of the ‘arts volunteer’ construct impacts negatively on volunteering policy effectiveness. I will illustrate this with a case in Singapore’s Mandarin theatre in which I conclude with a policy recommendations to boost the local arts and cultural scene. |
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