The touristic transformation of postcolonial states: human zoos, global tourism competition, and the emergence of zoo-managing states

Becklake, Sarah and Wynne-Hughes, Elisa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2250-7710 2023. The touristic transformation of postcolonial states: human zoos, global tourism competition, and the emergence of zoo-managing states. Tourism Geographies 10.1080/14616688.2023.2231410

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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.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Cardiff Law & Politics Department of Politics and International Relations (POLIR)
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
ISSN:	1461-6688
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 June 2023
Date of Acceptance:	12 June 2023
Last Modified:	28 Jul 2023 05:54
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/160387

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