HomeTourism in the context of postcolonial and decolonized paradigms

Tourism in the context of postcolonial and decolonized paradigms

Le tourisme à l'épreuve des paradigmes post et décoloniaux

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Published on Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Abstract

The onslaught of post- and de-colonial questions in the heart of academic fields and the critical practice of these paradigms raise major epistemological, theoretical and methodological issues for the humanities and social sciences. The numerous debates around these new directions, as well as the virulent hostilitytowhich they can be subjected, notably in France, must not curb but rathershould encourage rigorous andsite-specific analyses of long-term social, economicand mentalprocesses led by colonial regimes, of which tourism is a stakeholder. Through this appeal, we encourage workwhich allows the rethinkingof touristic situations at the heart of societies historically caught inthe colonial system.Indeed, tourism, as an economy of alterity, constitutesa great laboratoryfor thinking aboutthe historical and contemporary articulations of power relations (Boukhris, Chapuis, 2016).

Announcement

Argument

The onslaught of post- and de-colonial questions in the heart of academic fields and the critical practice of these paradigms raise major epistemological, theoretical and methodological issues for the humanities and social sciences. The numerous debates around these new directions, as well as the virulent hostilitytowhich they can be subjected, notably in France, must not curb but rathershould encourage rigorous andsite-specific analyses of long-term social, economicand mentalprocesses led by colonial regimes, of which tourism is a stakeholder. Through this appeal, we encourage workwhich allows the rethinkingof touristic situations at the heart of societies historically caught inthe colonial system.Indeed, tourism, as an economy of alterity, constitutesa great laboratoryfor thinking aboutthe historical and contemporary articulations of power relations (Boukhris, Chapuis, 2016).

Interest in these paradigms in Tourism Studies follows the work of Edward Saïd (1978), from approaches questioning colonial legacies through the language and images produced by tourism. They participated in gradually deconstructingthe narrative representations of this economy, like authenticity, traditionor even exoticism, that has participated in the eroticization of subaltern bodies (Staszak, 2008). These works havedemonstrated how much the touristic systems forged in the colonial erastill profoundly affect the formerly colonized territories today, from a material point of view, with the survival of certain practices and spaces,such as the safari (Buckley, 2013) and from a discursive point of view (Peyvel, 2011; Bandyopadhyay, 2012). Materialist approaches centeredon practices are starting to appear, for example in prostitution exchangesin the tourist context (Roux, 2011), and the circulation of models relating to bodies and to sex and gender identities (Moussawi, 2013). The negotiations with thecolonial system,that can be triggered by tourism often appear as sources of conflicts, notably when theyrelate to heritage issues (Hall and Tucker, 2005 ; Chivallon, 2006).The complex temporality in which these touristic processes take place is thus perceived in a heuristic way by the post- and decolonial paradigms, inviting the consideration, over a long period of time, of all circulations of practices and imaginaries, in the wakeof cultural studies (Bhabha, 1994; Appadurai, 1996) and Latin American decolonized thought theorizing the « coloniality » of power and knowledge of the present time.

In continuity with this existing work, we encourage the production of texts in three specific directions.

Dialectically rethinking the center and the periphery: for a critical approach to tourism within former colonial and imperial metropolises.

The first axis aims to decenter the perspective, developing postcolonial approaches from formerly colonized spaces and/or those under imperial domination (Hancock, 2009), by inviting analysis of the actors, places, practices and tourist imaginaries from acritical perspective through the prism of post and decolonial paradigms within former colonial powers.

The history woven between colonies and metropoliseshas made a lasting impression on these two spaces long thought of as radically remote and differenteven while they were co-constructed (Cooperand Stoler, 1997). Urban space, architecture, heritage and culture (from museum collections to the performing arts), which are like so many objects seized by touristic studies, had been traversed by power relations inscribed in a colonial genealogy and are constantly reconfigured in the present time (Mathers 2010).

The growing mobilizationof minority social groups--claiming their Afro-European or indigenous identity—in media, cultural, heritage and touristic projects, like the « black Paris » (“Paris noir”) project (Boukhris, 2017), are many fields to explore as part of this issue. It is thus a question of proposing analyses of these stake holders, places, imaginaries and practices situated on the margins of the dominant touristic offerings, the latter being able to participate in the « othering » of postcolonial presences as part of the promotion of the cosmopolitan city (Chapuis and Jacquot, 2014). In this regard, contributions could analyze the strategies of tourism and heritage stake holders as well as the modalities for the placement of material and immaterial traces of the colonial past and its contemporary heritage into tourism.

For a materialist approach to the establishment of alterities and identities in the touristic context

The second axis of this call invites contributors to deconstructthe establishment of alterities and identities in the tourist context, through the analysis of the effects of categorization, hierarchy and domination which tourism produces in former colonized societies. The notion of « agency » forged by the proponents of postcolonial and subaltern currents is stimulating: interest, opportunism, adhesion, but also avoidance and resistance in the face of imperialist powers provoke political action, and these arenas are also touristic. In this respect, this second axis aims to be inclusive with regard to all forms of tactics and accommodation following the tourist approach in the face of everyday forms of marginalization and oppression, whether they involve social or racial discrimination, homo/lesbo/transphobia, (dis)ableism or sexism.

On the national level, it is possible, in the tourist context, to be interested in the post-independence circulation and reappropriation of colonial thought structures in the construction of social, racial and gender hierarchies reflected for example in museums dedicated to categories of the population (museums of ethnology, of women, etc), and more generally in national heritage sites. Researches on tourist economies exploiting alterities founded on ethnic and gender categorizations as part of domestic tourismare also encouraged.

Furthermore, because colonization consisted ofthe forced movement of populations on a previously unprecedented scale, it resulted in plural identity constructions for the populations concerned, whose territorial anchorsare often complex. Tourism participates in this establishment of alterities and identities, from an individual to a transnational scale, particularly by what is called diasporic tourism. We encourage works using methodological propositions of cultural studies (Hall, 1990; Gilroy, 1993; Clifford, 1992; Marschall 2017) inviting the consideration of identity blends.

Epistemological, methodological and theoretical approaches: what post- and decolonial paradigms do to touristic studies and vice versa

The critical exercise carried out by the post- and decolonial paradigms is also primarily an epistemological practice of deconstruction of the regimes of knowledge production, understood not in their objective scientific nature but as situated social, political and cultural constructs (Haraway, 1988). Works on feminist epistemologies are thus fully in line with this critical exercise. In this respect, the third axis of this call for papers invites contributions that may, by example, question earlier works, methodologies and theoretical conceptualizations mobilized in the light of this critical exercise. A reflection about the limitsof this exercise is also encouraged, for example concerning the injunction for researchers located in gendered or racialized social groups to disclose their identities.

This axis also invites researchers to propose theoretical contributions analyzing the appropriations of post- and decolonial theories within tourism studies: Which critical theories were put into action for considering touristic situations and power relationsat work? How were they put into action? In what context? What were their contributions and the limitations?

Reciprocally, contributions may focus on the theoretical and methodological contributions of tourism studies to postcolonial and decolonial studies. The strong empirical dimension of touristic studies presenting the complexity of power relations as well as the representational and materialist approaches employed in the analysisof touristic practices demonstrate the richness of these contributions.

Forms and formats of contributions

Proposals can be submittedin the form of scientific articles not exceeding 40,000 characters. Wishing to best realize the plural logic of this call and the epistemological issues which the paradigms raise, the authors also encourage all forms of contributions seeking to go beyond the normal and instituted frame of the scientific article, integrating all forms of artistic expression. Via@ being an online journal, it is also possible to use video and audio supports as part of the proposed contributions.

Thoughtful reviews of books, exhibitions or films, stories of experiences (school fieldtrips tomuseums, military engagements…) or interviews with artists, writers or researchers examining the issues raised by this call will also be taken into consideration by the scientific committee.

Submission guidelines

Proposals can be submitted online, directly through the review’s website or sent by email to redaction@viatourismreview.com

before January30, 2019.

They can be written in French, English, German, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese or Italian, the language being a central element in the critical exercise posed by these paradigms, translations in Creole could possibly be considered depending on the feasibility of the project’s approach desired by the authors.

Coordination

  • Linda Boukhris, MCF, Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, IREST, Linda.boukhris@univ-paris1.fr
  • Emmanuelle Peyvel, MCF, Université Bretagne Occidentale, Emmanuelle.peyvel@univ-brest.fr

Scientifical Committee

  • Adyr Balestreri Rodrigues, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil, Geografia
  • Mohamed Berriane, Université Mohammed V, Rabat, Maroc, Géographie
  • Roberto Cellini, Università degli Studi di Catania, Italia, Economia politica
  • Tiziana Cuccia, Università degli Studi di Catania, Italia, Politica Economica
  • Susan Fainstein, Harvard University, United States of America, Urban planning
  • Michael Di Giovine, University of Chicago, United States of America, Anthropology
  • Daniel Hiernaux, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, México, Geografía
  • Eric T. Jennings, University of Toronto, Canada, History
  • Lucie K. Morisset, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada, Histoire de l’architecture et de l’urbanisme
  • Claudio Minca, Wageningen University, Netherlands, Geography
  • Yoel Mansfeld, University of Haifa, Israel, Tourism Planning & Development
  • Douglas Pearce, University of Wellington, Victoria, New Zeland, Tourism Management
  • Christine Petr, Institut d’Etudes politiques de Rennes, France, Marketing
  • David Picard, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, Antropologia
  • Mike Robinson, Director, The Ironbridge Institute College of Arts and Law, The University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Political Science
  • Jarkko Saarinen, University of Oulu, Finland, Geography
  • Ouidad Tebaa, Doyenne de la Faculté des Lettres de l’université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Maroc, Lettres et Etudes culturelles
  • Tatjana Thimm, Hochschule Konstanz, Deutschland, Tourismusmanagement
  • Jordi Tresserras Juan, Universitat de Barcelona, España, Ciències Polítiques
  • José Fernando Vera Rebollo, Director del Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Turísticas de la Universidad de Alicante, España, Geografía

Bibliographical References

Appadurai, A., 1996, Modernity at large: cultural dimensions of globalization, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press.

Bandyopadhyay, R., 2012, “To be an Englishman for a day: marketing colonial nostalgia in India,”Annals of Tourism Research, vol.3, 1245-1248.

Bhabha, H., 1994, The location of culture, New York, Routledge.

Boukhris, L., 2017, “The Black Paris project: the production and reception of a counter-hegemonic tourism narrative in postcolonial Paris,” Journal of sustainable Tourism, vol.25, n°5, 684-702.

Boukhris, L., Chapuis, A., 2016, « Circulations, espace et pouvoir. Penser le tourisme pour penser le politique », in « Tourisme, pouvoir et politique », L’espace politique, n°28.

Buckley, R., 2013, “Material culture of post-colonial wildlife tourism,” Annals of Tourism Research, vol.41, 225-228;

Chapuis, A., Jacquot, S., 2014, “Le touriste, le migrant et la fable cosmopolite, mettre en tourisme les présences migratoires à Paris”, Hommes et Migrations, vol.4, n°1308, 75-84.

Chivallon, C., 2006, “Rendre visible l’esclavage, muséographie et hiatus de la mémoire aux Antilles françaises”, L’Homme, n°180, 7-41.

Clifford, J., 1992, “Traveling Cultures”, in L. Grossberg (ed.), Cultural Studies, New York, Routledge.

Cooper, F., Stoler, A. L., 1997, Tensions of Empire: Colonial Cultures in a Bourgeois World. Berkeley, University of California Press.

Gilroy, P., 1993, The Black Atlantic: modernity and double consciousness, London, Verso.

Hall, S., 1990, “Cultural identity and diaspora” in J. Rutherford (ed.), Identity: Community, Culture and Difference, London, Lawrence & Wishart, 223-237.

Hall, C.M., Tucker, H., 2005, Tourism and postcolonialism, Contested discourses, Identities and Representations, London, Routledge.

Hancock, C., 2009, « La justice au risque de la différence: faire une « juste place » à l’Autre », Annales de géographie, Vol. 1, n° 665-666, 61-75.

Haraway, D., 2007 [1988], « Savoirs situés », « Persistance de la vision », Manifeste cyborg et autres essais, Paris, Exils Éditeur, pp. 115 – 128

Marschall, S. (ed.), 2017, Tourism and memories of home: migrants, displaced people, exiles and diasporic communities, Bristol, Channel View.

Mathers, K. F., 2010, Travel, Humanitarianism and becoming American in Africa, New York, Palgrave Macmillan.

Moussawi, G., 2013, « Queering Beirut, the ‘Paris of the Middle East’: fractal Orientalism and essentialized masculinities in contemporary gay travelogues », Gender, Place and Culture, vol.20, n°7, 858-875

Peyvel, E., 2011, “Visiting Indochina: the imaginary of the French colonial period in today’s touristic Việt Nam,” Journal of tourism and cultural change, vol.9, n°3, 217-227.

Roux, S., 2011, No money, no honey, Economies intimes du tourisme sexuel en Thaïlande, Paris, La Découverte.

Saïd, E., 1978, Orientalism, New York, Vintage Press

Staszak, J.F., 2008, Danse exotique, danse érotique. Perspectives géographiques sur la mise en scène du corps de l’Autre (XVIIIe-XXIe siècles), Annales de géographie, Vol. 2, n° 660-66,129-158


Date(s)

  • Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Keywords

  • tourisme, postcolonial, décolonial, minorité, domination, altérité, identité

Contact(s)

  • Linda Boukhris
    courriel : Linda [dot] boukhris [at] univ-paris1 [dot] fr
  • Emmanuelle Peyvel
    courriel : emmanuelle [dot] peyvel [at] irasec [dot] com

Reference Urls

Information source

  • Emmanuelle Peyvel
    courriel : emmanuelle [dot] peyvel [at] irasec [dot] com

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

« Tourism in the context of postcolonial and decolonized paradigms », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, https://doi.org/10.58079/10lm

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