New natures in tourism: local ecotourism and environmental activism
Date
2000
Authors
Hart, Randle Joseph
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Abstract
In this thesis I explore the relationship between ecotourism and environmental activism. I argue that processes of de-differentiation and increased reflexivity have created opportunities for environmental activism in spaces hitherto excluded from conventional notions of socio-political action, namely tourism. In Chapter One I argue that it is the very development of global capitalism, the transition from Fordism to post-Fordism, new modes of consumption, and the advent of a postmodern cultural paradigm that have brought about this de-differentiation and increased reflexivity. In Chapter Two, I argue that for ecotourism this has meant that work, leisure, and activism have become, in some instances, indistinguishable and, consequently, some forms of ecotourism have become a viable method of educating people about various environmental problems and crises. In Chapter Three, I argue that through the organization of tourist gazes, ecotourism has made it possible for people to compare different environments, different ideas of nature, as well as various instances of environmental degradation.