Introduction: A Theoretical and Methodological Case for Examining Agency and Power Relations in North–South Volunteering Research Collaborations

Scholarship on international volunteering has largely focused on the experiences of the volunteers with far fewer studies examining the impact of international volunteering from the perspectives of host organizations and communities in the Global South. This collection underscores the significance of the active participation of host organizations for expanding our knowledge of the impact of international volunteering efforts. This introductory paper provides a theoretical and methodological overview to explain the rationale for this collection and for the research that was conducted in nine countries in the Global South. In addition to validating the voices of Southern partners in the host communities where international volunteer service (IVS) takes place, this study explores the limitations of critical and normative theories and provides an important theoretical lens to build on human capabilities literature and subaltern studies in order to more fully consider the agency, voices and experiences of Southern partners in IVS programs.