Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Tourism geographies |
| Early online date | 12 Jul 2023 |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 12 Jul 2023 |
Abstract
Tourism is transforming states. Nevertheless, how, in what ways, and with what consequences has yet to be adequately theorised and interrogated. This paper takes up this task by asking: How does tourism govern and transform states? And, what does this mean for places and people? Tourism is a global mobilities system with immense power. While this system is capable of governing and transforming all states, it has particular resonance in postcolonial states. Due to their historically constructed economic dependency on international tourism, postcolonial states are increasingly conceptualising, representing, and governing their territory/citizenry as desirable/safe ‘tourism destinations’ and ‘touristic figures’ for international—primarily white Western—tourists. This, we argue, is indicative of postcolonial states enacting a mode of governance that harks back to the colonial practice of human zoos and, thus, that they are acting as competitive ‘zoo-managers’. Through theorising and interrogating this touristic state transformation we reveal the continued coloniality of postcolonial states and how this is being experienced, negotiated, and resisted by citizens.
Keywords
- coloniality, Global South, governance, human zoos, mobilities, postcolonial states, Tourism competition, zoo-managing states
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Business, Management and Accounting(all)
- Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
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In: Tourism geographies, 12.07.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The touristic transformation of postcolonial states: human zoos, global tourism competition, and the emergence of zoo-managing states
AU - Becklake, Sarah
AU - Wynne-Hughes, Elisa
N1 - Funding This work was supported by the economic and social Research council, Global challenges Research Fund [grant number: ES/P009840/1].
PY - 2023/7/12
Y1 - 2023/7/12
N2 - Tourism is transforming states. Nevertheless, how, in what ways, and with what consequences has yet to be adequately theorised and interrogated. This paper takes up this task by asking: How does tourism govern and transform states? And, what does this mean for places and people? Tourism is a global mobilities system with immense power. While this system is capable of governing and transforming all states, it has particular resonance in postcolonial states. Due to their historically constructed economic dependency on international tourism, postcolonial states are increasingly conceptualising, representing, and governing their territory/citizenry as desirable/safe ‘tourism destinations’ and ‘touristic figures’ for international—primarily white Western—tourists. This, we argue, is indicative of postcolonial states enacting a mode of governance that harks back to the colonial practice of human zoos and, thus, that they are acting as competitive ‘zoo-managers’. Through theorising and interrogating this touristic state transformation we reveal the continued coloniality of postcolonial states and how this is being experienced, negotiated, and resisted by citizens.
AB - Tourism is transforming states. Nevertheless, how, in what ways, and with what consequences has yet to be adequately theorised and interrogated. This paper takes up this task by asking: How does tourism govern and transform states? And, what does this mean for places and people? Tourism is a global mobilities system with immense power. While this system is capable of governing and transforming all states, it has particular resonance in postcolonial states. Due to their historically constructed economic dependency on international tourism, postcolonial states are increasingly conceptualising, representing, and governing their territory/citizenry as desirable/safe ‘tourism destinations’ and ‘touristic figures’ for international—primarily white Western—tourists. This, we argue, is indicative of postcolonial states enacting a mode of governance that harks back to the colonial practice of human zoos and, thus, that they are acting as competitive ‘zoo-managers’. Through theorising and interrogating this touristic state transformation we reveal the continued coloniality of postcolonial states and how this is being experienced, negotiated, and resisted by citizens.
KW - coloniality
KW - Global South
KW - governance
KW - human zoos
KW - mobilities
KW - postcolonial states
KW - Tourism competition
KW - zoo-managing states
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165178845&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14616688.2023.2231410
DO - 10.1080/14616688.2023.2231410
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85165178845
JO - Tourism geographies
JF - Tourism geographies
SN - 1461-6688
ER -