Review on Travel, Humanitarianism, and Becoming American in Africa by Kathryn Mathers - Book Report/Review Example

Travel, humanitarianism, and becoming American in Africa Travel, humanitarianism, and becoming American in Africa by Mathers Kathryn, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 236 pages ISBN number 0230108067. The author of this book utilizes observations of those Americans who travel to South Africa to question; why Africa is so significant to America. This book reveals how encounters with Africans lead to a need to save Africa. According to Mathers (35), this is then perceived as a way to resolve the conflicts and tensions between desires for worldly responsible America and a current reality of its global political role.

Mathers examines the experiences of young Americans travelling to South Africa and back as students, vacationers, and political tourists between 1999 and 2002. The aim of the author is to evaluate and examine the power of travel to change conceptions held about Africa. In her observations, she discovers that travel to South Africa did little to dismantle the conceptions and images of the continent as homogeneous, barbaric and in need of salvage. After carefully interviewing, observing and reading materials of travelers, Mathers states that travelers managed their experiences in Africa to fulfill their desires, expectations and reestablish familiar images about the continent.

Away from South Africa’s tarmacked and paved roads, they found the true Africa on safaris (Mathers 41-44). During this time, they witnessed Africans with cameras replacing guns in hunting. Biases and ignorance limited them from giving in to their experiences that conflicted with their perceptions of social and gender roles. In addition, class structure and race limited their interaction with the locals. The author argues that even after their trip abroad, Americans seemed to look at Africa as a single entity.

For majority of travelers, the author argues, their internal geography was more interesting than the one in Africa. Mathers (58-62) states that what travelers found or discovered in Africa was America. Whether they were African Americans, Hispanic Americans or working class at home, they were Americans who had gone abroad. They noticed that they belonged to a nation that held a privileged position on world map. This awareness according to Mathers was heightened by the September 11, 2001 attack, which took place at a time when Mathers was in the field doing her work and in turn, made Americans to question their role in the world.

According to Mathers (78), the Americans awakened their sense of their role in the world, which led them to perceive Africa as a place to rebuild their image as America. In her writing, she states that it is possible to save ones’ self under a tree in Africa than in an American classroom. Africa creates a platform on which Americans can find ways to rehabilitate themselves and do well. The only problem is that this kind of relationship reminds Africans of colonialism and maintains dependency syndrome.

In her argument, the author stresses that travel to a place changes rather than motivates preconceived perceptions about the place. She supports this view by observing paradox that some travelers met looking for experience abroad and finding one that is suited to match expectations. The book unravels some ideas that, many barriers that come between travelers and real experiences are constructed in their own mind. The author’s examination of the motivation behind humanitarianism is her most significant point.

She realized that most travelers developed the sense to help Africans as general entity without putting in mind structural causes behind disparities (Mathers 81-84). Many Americans who travelled to Africa were motivated to redirect their careers towards helping the continent. In real sense, considering oneself a rescuer or savior motivates inequality and undermines organizations and local people. This sentiment raises questions of how to direct humanitarian desires towards constructive ends.

The idea that travel gave birth for desire to assist Africa is rational. The author does a good job to examine the experiences of the travelers from distinct class and ethnic backgrounds. However, she focuses less on time spent by travelers in Africa. The time spent in a nation affect the way the visitors come to understand it in long run. Summarily with good intentions and critical observations, Americans gets much of home while visiting or travelling to South Africa. Works CitedMathers, Kathryn.

Travel, Humanitarianism, and becoming American in American in Africa. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Print.