Sociology, University of Manchester.
Br J Sociol. 2013 Mar;64(1):142-62. doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12010.
This paper engages with debates surrounding contemporary cosmopolitanism and the outcomes of cultural encounters. It considers if overseas gap years, often put forward in the UK as a way of becoming a global citizen, enable young Britons to 'broaden their mind'. I explore representations of the people and places encountered during these periods of time out through an analysis of young people's travel blogs. Four key themes are highlighted in these narratives: the exotic place; feeling 'out of place'; the importance and outcomes of local interaction; and the historical legacies that are implicated in constructing places as 'different'. Gappers display a willingness to interact with and gain knowledge about their host communities. Yet as gap years are designed to be distinct from the normal course of things, they also demonstrate the 'difference' of places. This can often result in the reproduction of established ways of representing the Other in order to frame them as meaningful. There is a tension in the narratives between 'globally reflexive' and 'globally reproductive' representations of difference, and I suggest that we might question the development of cosmopolitan attitudes and competencies through undertaking a gap year.
本文探讨了当代世界主义以及文化交流的结果所引发的争论。它审视了在英国，海外间隔年（通常被视为成为世界公民的一种方式）是否能让英国年轻人“开阔眼界”。通过对年轻人旅行博客的分析，我探讨了他们在这段时间里所遇到的人和地方的描述。这些叙述中有四个关键主题：异国他乡；感觉“格格不入”；当地互动的重要性和结果；以及在构建“不同”的地方时所涉及的历史遗产。间隔年旅行者表现出愿意与东道国社区互动并了解他们的知识。然而，由于间隔年的设计与正常的生活轨迹不同，他们也展示了地方的“差异”。这往往导致以既定的方式来表现他者，以使他们具有意义。在这些叙述中存在着一种“全球反思”和“全球再现”之间的张力，我认为，我们可能会通过间隔年来质疑对世界主义态度和能力的培养。
