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

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Sarah Becklake
  • Elisa Wynne-Hughes

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • Cardiff University
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)778-795
Number of pages18
JournalTourism geographies
Volume26
Issue number5
Early online date12 Jul 2023
Publication statusPublished - 2024

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.

Keywords

    coloniality, Global South, governance, human zoos, mobilities, postcolonial states, Tourism competition, zoo-managing states

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

The touristic transformation of postcolonial states: human zoos, global tourism competition, and the emergence of zoo-managing states. / Becklake, Sarah; Wynne-Hughes, Elisa.
In: Tourism geographies, Vol. 26, No. 5, 2024, p. 778-795.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Becklake S, Wynne-Hughes E. The touristic transformation of postcolonial states: human zoos, global tourism competition, and the emergence of zoo-managing states. Tourism geographies. 2024;26(5):778-795. Epub 2023 Jul 12. doi: 10.1080/14616688.2023.2231410
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