Tourism, Globalisation and Cultural Change: An Island Community Perspective

In what ways does tourism change the host community? This book offers original insights into the broad and deep influences of tourists and tourism, and places them within the historical context of globalisation. Intensive ethnographic fieldwork spanning many years on one of the Canary Islands has produced a rich portrayal of the community. Issues addressed include the extensive transformation of working lives and the economic base; challenges to cultural values, gender roles, sexual behaviour and personal freedom; the construction and utilization of history; changing identities; conflict over the natural environment and development plans; the shifting centres of power; and new approaches to family life. The predominantly independent tourists are also examined, including their backgrounds and motivation, and their unique impact is explored. The research material emphasizes the indigenous experience, and includes crosscultural comparisons. It employs the methods of socio-cultural anthropology, detailing the lives of the local population and their interactions with individual tourists, and it also refers to the multidisciplinary findings of tourism studies. In doing so this book is innovative, and it profoundly challenges standard understandings of the influence of tourism on small communities.