Voluntary Godparenthood. Unequal relationships as bridges in urban society.
Laura Gozzer - University of Munich
Anonymity, alienation and social isolation are key topics in the problematization of modern urban life. Today, once more, the increasing social gap between rich and poor, the established and the abandoned is often framed as a problem that is inherently urban. In light of these debates, various initiatives aim at “building bridges”. Among them are mentoring programs in which people perceived as lacking reliable relationships – youth-at-risk or refugees – are paired with volunteers, so-called “godparents”.
The ethnographic research based on participant observations and narrative interviews with volunteers in Munich, Germany highlights how mentoring programs are connected to the formation of an ideal urban subject − a subject that can relate to “strangers” and thereby overcomes socio-economic and cultural differences. Against this backdrop, the research on two initiatives shows how volunteers engage in narratives and practices of ethical self-making.