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Indigenous tourism as a transformative process: the case of the Emberá in Panama

Theodossopoulos, Dimitrios (2017) Indigenous tourism as a transformative process: the case of the Emberá in Panama. In: Bunten, Alexis Celeste and Nelson, Graburn, eds. Indigenous Tourism Movements. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, pp. 99-116. ISBN 978-1-4426-2829-8. E-ISBN 978-1-4426-2253-1. (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:52389)

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Abstract

In this chapter I discuss how Indigenous tourism has affected the representational self-awareness of the residents of an Emberá community in Panama. I approach Indigenous tourism as a transformative process that inspires the Emberá to experiment and creatively develop pre-existing cultural practices, but also to articulate their identity to audiences of outsiders. I argue that Indigenous tourism has the potential to deeply shape the political representation of Indigenous societies, and as such deserves special attention as a distinctive variant of cultural tourism. Unlike top-down homogenizing processes that rely on national narratives, Indigenous tourism provides opportunities for developing cultural representation at the local level, often by calling attention to cultural difference. Even in nations where multiculturalism is promoted as an official discourse, indigenous tourism may encourage the articulation of Indigenous identity in previously unexplored directions.

Item Type: Book section
Uncontrolled keywords: Indigenous tourism, representational self-awareness, Emberá, Panama.
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Depositing User: Dimitrios Theodossopoulos
Date Deposited: 24 Nov 2015 18:08 UTC
Last Modified: 23 Feb 2021 15:50 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/52389 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Theodossopoulos, Dimitrios.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8453-3450
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