Arca Publishing

Heldt Cassel, Susanna

 
 
Title: Discourses of Indigenous Tourism of the North: Conceptualizations of Distance and 
Difference 
Author: Susanna Heldt Cassel 
Affiliation: Dalarna University  
Contact: shc@du.se 
Session Type: Presentation 
 
Abstract: 
Through discursive practices of ordering and delineation, Indigenous cultures, groups of 
people and places, are constructed as different, distant and as ‘the Other’. In this paper the 
conceptualization of the Indigenous, in relation to the non-Indigenous, as expressed in tourism 
activities and marketing of northern areas, and the connection to other concepts that connotes a 
geographic as well as a symbolic location are analyzed. We aim to deconstruct the “Indigenous” 
– “non-Indigenous” conceptualizations as well as the geographical categories these are linked to, 
with examples from northern Fennoscandia and Russia, aiming to illustrate that rather than 
clarifying, these categories are often used—in tourism and destination marketing—to obscure 
what are locally and regionally very varying circumstances. The official state definitions and the 
self-definitions of Indigenous peoples only partly coincide with the definitions of the Indigenous 
in tourism contexts. 
Hegemonic connotations of northern or Arctic areas are nature and wilderness, which 
also implies that the northern areas are conceptualized as peripheral, and related to concepts and 
signifiers such as local, genuine, authentic, and Indigenous. In the tourism context, authenticity 
(as given meaning in relation to Indigenous experiences) has been conceptualized as a value that 
connotes the true, genuine, and unspoilt, and as ‘old’ cultural practices from a time and place 
distant from the western modern world and from the urban. There is a clear similarity here to 
how the concepts of the genuine and the local are used to give meaning to and revalorize tourism 
products and places. Similarly, the Indigenous is a concept that has been given meaning in 
tourism as something exotic and different, and as part of exclusive experiences of a spiritual 
connection to nature. 
By studying the ways in with the concept of Indigenous is used in tourism, related to 
other value-laden and geographically situated concepts, we want to contribute to the critical 
debate on the role of tourism in processes of ‘Othering’ and shaping of power imbalances. We 
also want to suggest potentials for resistance to the normalized understandings through 
Indigenous tourism practices. 
One example is the label called the Sapmi Experience, which has been developed 
recently within a project run by a network of tourism operators, to distinguish tourism products 
that offer “authentic” Sami tourism experiences by local Sami hosts. The label is given to 
companies that offer products and services that are in line with the ethical standards and basic 
values set by the organization Visit Sapmi. Stating that there is a real Sami experience and that 
some tourism experiences are more authentic than others, but at the same time disputing and 
trying to resist the touristic objectification of the Sami culture is an example of the paradoxical 
practices of the conceptualization of the Indigenous in Indigenous tourism. 
 
 
  


English

Discourses of Indigenous Tourism of the North: Conceptualizations of Distance and Difference

Cooke, Lisa

âI Love Being Outsideâ on âStolen SecwÄpemc Landsâ: Settler Colonialismâs Moral Nature, at a British Columbia Ski Resort

Boluk, Karla

Cavaliere, Christina

Phillips, Diane

 
Title: Creative and Critical Pedagogical Practice: A Collaborative Collection and Exploration of 
Pedagogical Tools within the Neoliberal Paradigm for Reflection and Praxis 
Author: Karla Boluk1, Christina Cavaliere2, Diane Philips3 
Affiliation: University of Waterloo1, Stockton University2, Canberra University3 
Contact: kboluk@uwaterloo.ca 
Session Type: Workshop 
 
Abstract: 
Following the works of Freire, Giroux, Brookfield, and Shor, among others, we 
collectively seek to consider ways in which we can make intentional space for critical pedagogy 
and implement best practices which challenge ourselves, our students, and the institutions and 
communities in which we operate. We endeavour to create an alternative pedagogical ecosystem 
that challenges the neoliberal rhetoric that has become enmeshed in the academy. The aim of our 
workshop is fourfold: (1) To reconsider the definition of pedagogical space in tertiary 
institutions as one that confronts, rather than conforms to, neoliberal structures. Such structures 
are embedded in our everyday practice; they are everywhere and difficult to recognize in our 
familiar environments. This poses a challenge in escaping these norms. (2) To inspire a critical 
and hopeful dialogue in regard to the exploration of, and collaborative sharing of, critical and 
creative tools which may enhance our pedagogical practice. (3) To reflect on ways in which we 
can create meaningful opportunities and energize both faculty and students in the process of 
learning. (4) To cultivate an ecosystem (both at CTS and beyond) that supports reciprocity in the 
exchange of ideas and tools for confronting the neoliberal contexts in which many of us work. 
Our final aim underpins the juxtaposition between collaboration (the critical) and competition 
(the neoliberal), which our work endeavors to confront. Furthermore, it recognizes that power is 
not always coercive or repressive, but rather it can be a necessary, productive, and positive force 
within society (Foucault, 1991). 
Specifically, our workshop will create a safe and inviting space for international seasoned 
scholars, newly minted doctorates, and graduate students at various stages to come together, 
exchange, share, reflect, and learn about the best, most creative pedagogical tools. We are seeking 
tools that not only energize and challenge students and ourselves to think critically about 
scholarship, but which also challenge the roles of students and ourselves as instructors, considering 
ourselves as change agents within our communities and beyond. In the spirit of 
internationalization, innovation, and inclusion, which are encompassed in many of our university 
strategic priorities, we endeavour to open our workshop up to an international and thus wide-
reaching audience. Accordingly, the critical and cooperative workshop will encourage both face-
to-face and online attendance and participation. 
As an amendment to the traditional abstract, we request interested participants to submit a 
short 150-word description of a pedagogical tool and a short (up to a 3 minute) video blog simply 
recorded using a smart phone (vlogs) (via email). The vlogs will detail the tool implemented, the 
context (size and offering of the class), any challenges experienced, and the key learnings from the 
implementation of the tool. In order to ensure a safe space and adherence to university ethics 
protocol these videos will not be shared outside of the organizers/authors of this workshop. 
Participants, if selected will be asked to sign an ethics consent form, as the pedagogical tools will 
be collected, and an audio recording of the workshop will be kept and further analyzed after the 
workshop for research purposes. All participants will be kept anonymous and confidential. 
 
 
Our workshop in Spain will encompass three components including a brief presentation by 
the participants following a “campfire session,” whereby the facilitation team will highlight the 
coming together of the team, the development of the idea for the workshop, and an overview of 
how the workshop will run. The goal will be to create an open forum in which our participants 
generate a majority of the discussion, have the opportunity to share their best practices with the 
creative tools they submitted, and network! Specifically, our campfire session will allow our 
participants to learn from multiple perspectives regarding the details of the tools which are shared 
among our participants so that they can return home with effective and inspiring tools to facilitate 
critical and creative tools which will enhance their pedagogical practice. 
We are critical of the current system in which universities operate and wish to raise 
awareness of the unintended consequences for practice. We are hopeful that we can create an 
ecosystem of sharing and exchange. This workshop is purposely designed in juxtaposition to the 
current neoliberal paradigm that promotes climates of competition and rivalry among scholars. 
This experience will cultivate enhanced learning environments for ourselves and our students, 
creating spaces for reflection and social change. Join us! 
 
References: 
Foucault, M. (1991). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. London: Penguin. 
 
 
 
  


Creative and Critical Pedagogical Practice: A Collaborative Collection and Exploration of Pedagogical Tools within the Neoliberal Paradigm for Reflection and Praxis

Benjamin, CassiopÃ©e

Lapointe, Dominic

 
Title: Tourism and Postcolonialism: The Influences of the Tourism Industry on Social 
Relationships in French Overseas Departments and Territories 
Author: Cassiopée Benjamin & Dominic Lapointe 
Affiliation: Université du Québec à Montréal 
Contact: benjamin.cassiopee@courrier.uqam.ca 
Session Type: Presentation 
 
Abstract: 
French overseas departments still preserve noticeable traces from the colonization period. 
These traces remain and influence the structures of ancient colonies through the values and the 
social and political systems sustained since colonization. Tourism, as a major part of the 
economy of those departments, is inclined to perpetuate colonial habits, oppression, and systemic 
restraints. These traces of colonization are numerous in the tourism system. They can be 
observed in touristic discourses, in Foucault’s (1969) sense, and in the structures shared by 
touristic stakeholders. Those colonial discourses can even be integrated in the self-image of the 
host community members (Césaire, 1973, p. 11). Tourism and postcolonial studies, when joined, 
have the potential to make an important contribution to understand colonialism, as well as 
colonial manifestations and remains, notably by comparing the nature, actions, and consequences 
of tourism and colonialism in its original and persisting form. 
Hegemony is the main concept chosen to illustrate the phenomenon that occurs in French 
overseas departments. It is defined as the continuity of the economic, political, and cultural 
influence of imperial powers on the colonized states and territories, as well as the inequities that 
persist between north and south (Ferro, 1997, cited in Hall & Tucker, 2004). To this day, that 
ascendancy is still an integral part of the tourism industry’s discourse and organization. For 
example, exotic and stereotypical images are vastly used as a promise to fulfill the tourist’s 
expectations conducted by their touristic imaginary. This dynamic has a direct effect on cultural 
“folklorisation” and alienation of host communities. Driven by the need to correspond to those 
beliefs, host communities will tend to reproduce those images of what tourists feel is their 
“authentic cultural representation.” In a (neo)colonial context, while the culture of the dominant 
nation prevails, the values of the subaltern culture (Young, 1990) break down and end up in a 
self-alienation process to comply with the dominant culture (Césaire, 1973, p. 11). Eventually, 
that disruption of the self-representation of host communities, when combined with the vivid 
influence of the dominant culture, forces the individual and the community to integrate the ideas 
of the dominant nation to function, resulting in a process of denial of identity, and leading 
inevitably to alienation, but also to physical and symbolic displacement. 
This research departs from a sociological perspective and proposes to describe the 
influences of the tourism industry on transformations or extension of social relations specific to a 
postcolonial context. This research bases its core concepts on theories of C. Michael Hall and 
Hazel Tucker (2004), which where elaborated from existing studies and through observations on 
English colonies, and questions the similarities that can also be observed in French territories. 
This research uses a case study method applied to the French oversea department of La 
Guadeloupe. It looks at postcolonial discourses in the very production of tourist sites (publicity, 
use of land, etc.), but also in the life story of slave descent French Caribbean tourist stakeholders. 
Therefore, the research strategy privileged is participant observations and discourse analysis of 
the representation of place and culture at tourist sites in Guadeloupe, although it is mainly 
oriented on general life story interviews. The choice of this last method is motivated by the 
 
desire to present research that will prioritise the voices of the respondents. 
Because this research presents a critical perspective on colonialism in its permanent form, 
it also includes, as its guiding principle, a meta-reflexion on postcolonial academic discourses. 
Indeed, postcolonialism was crystallized as a concept by Edward Said in his contribution 
Orientalism (1978). What was a critical concept and theory about the western world’s 
intellectual, cultural, physical, economic, and political domination over the eastern world, soon 
became vastly used by the said western world’s social science. Therefore, we remain aware that 
postcolonial studies are an area of contradiction. It thus felt necessary to insist on prioritising 
academic voices from the south in the choice of references, to try to counteract the fact that this 
research is conduct within a western academic privileged context. 
 
References: 
Césaire, A. (1976). Société et littérature dans les Antilles. Études Littéraires, 6(1), 9–20. 
Foucault, M. (1969). L’Archéologie du Savoir. Paris: Gallimard. 
Ferro, M. (1997). Colonialism: A global history. London: Routledge. 
Hall, C.M., and Tucker, H. (2004). Tourism and postcolonialism: Contested discourses, identities 
and representations. New York: Routledge.  
Young, I.M. (1990). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University 
Press.


Tourism and Postcolonialism: The Influences of the Tourism Industry on Social Relationships in French Overseas Departments and Territories

A young woman discovers that running from difficult situations can be more rewarding than enduring them

Middlemann, Annaliese

Fight or Flight

Yankholmes, Aaron

 
 
Title: Rethinking Indigenous Knowledge in (African) Tourism Studies 
Author: Aaron Yankholmes 
Affiliation: Bournemouth University  
Contact: ayankholmes@bournemouth.ac.uk 
Session Type: Presentation 
 
Abstract: 
Several African scholars and Africanists (e.g., Fanon, 1963, 1967; Asante, 2003; 
Nyamnyoh, 2012; Dei, 2002, 2012) advocate a radical change in the conventional processes of 
knowledge production, which have historically deprived and marginalized African voices. The 
main thrust of their argument is that Indigenous knowledge (IK) offers the epistemic framework 
that African scholars and knowledge producers can employ to articulate, create, and produce 
knowledge that challenges and extends ‘western’ experiences on the continent.  
However, although IK has noteworthy merits, it is far less easy to disentangle. This 
situation is further complicated by the fact that applying the principles of IK commits African 
scholars to the longstanding dichotomy between Indigenous and ‘western’ knowledge (Lévi- 
Strauss, 1966; Geertz, 1983). This paper critically examines the possibilities for incorporating IK 
into tourism development, in general, and scholarship on African tourism, in particular, and its 
attendant implication for hopeful imaginaries and practices espoused by theorists of critical 
tourism studies.  
The key explanations identified for why there is limited utility of IK in tourism studies 
are the inadequate number of interlocutors or pioneers in the field and limited published 
literature on IK. The conclusion can also be drawn that African-based scholars are ideally 
situated to thinking past ‘western’ tourism research traditions and producing different insights. 
However, the limited number of studies espousing IK implies that (African) tourism studies is 
not always radically different because such research has been filtered through ‘western’ 
epistemology and methodology. Following an in-depth multi-dimensional analysis of 
preliminary research results from Ghana, some recommendations for thinking about and doing 
(African) tourism will also be presented.  
 
References: 
Asante. M.K. (2003). Afrocentricity: The theory of social change. Chicago: African American 
Images. 
Dei, G. (2002). Rethinking the role of Indigenous Knowledges in the Academy. International 
Journal of Inclusive Education, 4(2), 111–132. 
Dei, G. (2012). Indigenous anti-colonial knowledge as ‘heritage knowledge’ for promoting 
Black/African education in diasporic contexts. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education, & 
Society, 1(1), 102–119. 
Fanon, F. (1963). The wretched of the earth. New York: Grove Press. 
Fanon, F. (1967). Black Skin, white masks. New York: Grove Press. 
Geertz, C. (1983). Local knowledge: Further essays in interpretive anthropology. New York: 
Basic. 
Levi-Strauss, C. (1966). The savage mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 
Nyamnjoh, F. (2012). Potted plants in greenhouses: A critical reflection on the resilience of 
colonial education in Africa. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 1–26.  


Rethinking Indigenous Knowledge in (African) Tourism Studies

Small, Jennie

Leading as a Critical Scholar: A Shared Dialogue

Sahasrabuddhe, Divya

Cheer, Joseph

Voluntourism and the Role of the Host Organization

Novelli, Marina

 
 
Title: Peer2Peer (P2P) International: 10 years of Pro-activist and Impact-oriented Collaborative 
Research, Consultancy, and Teaching Practices 
Author: Marina Novelli 
Affiliation: University of Brighton 
Contact: m.novelli@brighton.ac.uk  
Session Type: Presentation 
 
Abstract: 
Travel and tourism, in their multiple manifestations, are deeply embedded in the fabric of 
contemporary society. They are increasingly accessible to a heterogeneous audience, but struggle 
to address global challenges, such as sustainable development, conflicting economic and power 
interests, questionable governance practices, climate change, security, and peace. 
Given these struggles, travel and tourism need adaptive strategies, policies, and practices 
contributing to a more inclusive sector that works for all those involved. These will be highly 
dependent on knowledge generation and innovation in the way all stakeholders are enabled to 
learn from experiences and operate more effectively. The challenge is to (1) depart from the 
pervasive “business as usual” scenarios, where change is feared and “status quo” situations are 
maintained, and (2) explore the extent to which we can facilitate transformation through co-
construction rather than simple transfer of knowledge within travel and tourism. 
By employing an autoethnographic research approach based on retrospective self- 
reflection and co-constructed narratives developed by me (as outsider) in collaboration with local 
insiders, this conference contribution will draw upon 10 years of scholarly work conducted in 
The Gambia. This includes research, consulting, teaching, and learning practices, using the 
Peer2Peer (P2P) pro-activist and impact-oriented collaborative approach, employing qualitative, 
participatory, and cross-disciplinary techniques. 
Although in no way perfect, the P2P approach has proved transformative in terms of 
enhancing the agency of those involved (both me, as an outsider, and local insider players) and 
the likelihood of successes and long-term project sustainability, associated primarily with the 
contribution of those who would normally belong to ‘voiceless’ or ‘powerless’ groups. This 
presentation therefore makes a contribution to hopeful tourism imaginaries and practices, by 
reflecting on my own sense of purpose as a pro-activist applied scientist committed to enhance 
agency and empowerment in travel and tourism and in the academy. 
 
  


Peer2Peer (P2P) International: 10 years of Pro-activist and Impact-oriented Collaborative Research, Consultancy, and Teaching Practices

Khoo-Lattimore, Catheryn

Chiao Ling Yang, Elaine

 
 
Title: The Evolving Meaning of Supervision in the Changing Scholarly Context 
Author: Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore & Elaine Chiao Ling Yang  
Affiliation: Griffith University 
Contact: c.khoo-lattimore@griffith.edu.ac 
Session Type: Presentation 
 
Abstract: 
Despite the growing literature that examines supervision and the importance of 
relationships between the supervisor and the postgraduate student, our understanding of these 
relationships is still limited, particularly from a cultural aspect (Trudgett, 2014). In examining 
the resources on thesis writing and doctoral supervision, Dedrick and Watson (2002) highlighted 
the scarcity of discussion on the needs of female, minority, and international students. Johnson-
Bailey (2004) echoes a similar concern, when she argues that women and people of colour are 
rarely considered in higher education contexts. Set against the framework of today’s competitive 
research environment, this paper focuses on the meaning-making of a contemporary doctoral 
supervision relationship in Anglo-Saxon academe, underpinned by two major aspects of identity: 
gender and ethnicity. 
This work will be presented at the conference as a dialogue, as we situate ourselves 
within our intellectual socialization context of tourism research. This context refers to the 
community of tourism researchers, of which we have been, and are being, socialized (Hall, 
2004). In this context, we are two Asian women in a supervisor-supervisee relationship. Our 
relationship, not uncommon from many, began from a project for a Master’s dissertation in a 
Malaysian institution. The opportunity for an academic position, and serendipitously, a doctoral 
scholarship in Australia, meant we were both able to continue working together in a new 
institution. 
Arising from duo-ethnographic journal entries and subsequent conversations about these 
narratives, our ‘data’ is presented as reflexive considerations on the themes raised by previous 
scholars on the challenges that exist in supervisory relationships, which include personal (e.g., 
expectation and communication gaps), gender (e.g., sexism, implicit bias, and work-family 
balance), and structural (e.g., institutional structure and power distance/negotiation) dimensions 
(Brown & Watson, 2010; Deuchar, 2008; Hemer, 2012). In these conversations, we critique the 
existing discourse on supervision by providing specific experiences through a feminist lens that 
acknowledge vulnerability, weakness, and emotion. With the current international push for 
universities to increase the numbers of doctoral completions (Askew et al., 2016), this study is 
timely in adding to our current knowledge the success factors in doctoral supervisions at 
different stages of candidature, particularly when at least one person in the relationship is a 
female and/or of a minority ethnic background. 
 
References: 
Askew, C., Dixon, R., McCormick, R., Callaghan, K., Wang, G., & Shulruf, B. (2016).  
Facilitators and barriers to doctoral supervision: A case study in health sciences. Issues in 
Educational Research, 26(1), 1–9. 
Brown, L., & Watson, P. (2010). Understanding the experiences of female doctoral students.  
Journal of Further and Higher Education, 34(3), 385–404. 
Dedrick, R.F., & Watson, F. (2002). Mentoring needs of female, minority, and international  
graduate students: A content analysis of academic research guides and related print 
 
 
material. Mentoring and Tutoring, 10(3), 275–289. 
Deuchar, R. (2008). Facilitator, director, or critical friend? Contradiction and congruence in  
doctoral supervision styles. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(4), 489–500. 
Hall, C.M. (2004). Reflexivity and tourism research: Situating myself and/with others. In J.  
Phillimore & L. Goodson, eds., Qualitative Research in Tourism: Ontologies, 
Epistemologies, and Methodologies (pp. 137–155). London: Routledge. 
Hemer, S.R. (2012). Informality, power, and relationships in postgraduate supervision:  
Supervising PhD candidates over coffee. Higher Education Research & Development, 
31(6), 827–839. 
Johnson-Bailey, J. (2004). Hitting and climbing the proverbial wall: Participation and retention  
issues for Black graduate women. Race Ethnicity and Education, 7(4), 331–349. 
Trudgett, M. (2014). Supervision provided to Indigenous Australian doctoral students: A black  
and white issue. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(5), 1035–1048. 
 
  


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