Immersive narratives of ‘self-work’ in an experience society: understanding the cruise ship experience

ABSTRACT

Commentators have long argued that cruise ship tourism is a highly rationalised form of mass consumption, a ‘total institution’ in which consumption defines and controls the individual’s experience. Arguing that this represents a simplification, this article suggests that a closer analysis of cruise tourism tells us something profound about the nature of what it means to be a consumer in a de-territorialised age. Specifically, the article explores the suggestion that the cruise experience represents a mode of consumption in which the consumer effectively becomes the product. Through the deployment of an autoethnographic investigation of the cruising experience the paper seeks to shed light on the relationship between the tourist experience and notions of self, while making a case for a re-conceptualisation of consumption as self-work. In this light, the contention is made that the ideological power of consumption is intensified by tourism’s emphasis on the experience of the consumer as part of a broader process in which there has been a shift away from the specific consumption of products towards consumption as a temporal-partial process of self-endowment.     

All in good fun: governing camp experiences through discourses of ‘good’ and ‘fun’

Summer camps have been conventionally associated with the positive development of individual character through the promotion of recreational ‘fun.’ However, popular narratives obscure more critical questions concerning the power-knowledge relations that have shaped the provision of summer camp fun as a significant site of child development in Canadian culture. In this article we examine how camp counsellors mobilise particular discourses about the benefits, or ‘good’, and ‘fun’ of camp to govern themselves and the campers that are in their care. We draw on Foucauldian notions of governmentality to problematise that which is often assumed as the ‘truth’ of camp experiences. We discuss how the ‘good’ of camp often draws on psy-discourses and those of entrepreneurial selves to improve or add value to campers’ lives. Additionally, ‘fun’ discourses and practices can work to produce manageable and docile campers. We conclude the article by identifying the implications of the research for developing a critical approach to the management of young staff who work to provide a broad range of recreational experiences where benefits and fun are promised.     

‘I lose,but that’s not the point’: Situated Economic and Social Rationalities in Horserace Gambling

ABSTRACT

This article compares ethnographic observations of horserace gambling in two UK spaces – the betting shop (remote) and the racecourse (proximal). The paper identifies the emerging, situated rationales that attract gamblers to these leisure spaces, and that motivate them to integrate their gambling activities as an ongoing, sustainable feature of their lives. Doing so, it is observed that, for the vast majority of punters, gambling on the horses is neither ‘addictive’ nor is it ‘irrational’, except in narrowly defined zweckrational terms. The article thus argues for a shift in current gambling research, away from an overwhelming preoccupation with pathological gambling, towards a broader consideration of the more representative and socioeconomically significant activities of leisure gambling.     

Hybridity between the ‘Self’ and the ‘Other’: Visiting Gyeongju through the prism of colonial imaginary

This article aims to understand the hybridity between the ‘Self’ and the ‘Other’ exposed in heritage production and its touristic consumption in the colonial era. This article is a single case study investigating Gyeongju city of Korea. Findings show the complexity of this binary relationship by revealing three different types of hybridity: the first is engaged in a visible manifestation of difference, the second is a hybridization process by which differences are either naturalized or neutralized within the colonized host, and the third is a perspective for representing the new critical tourism practices. This study also demonstrated that heritage and tourism, as results of this hybridization, were significant mediums for offering colonial encounters and narratives that reveal this hybridity.     

‘I can’t be very sad’: constraint and adaptation in the leisure of a ‘learning in retirement’ group

The purpose of this paper is to consider adaptive processes in relation to the constraints that limit leisure in late life. Interview data gathered from a purposive sample of 20 male and female retirees involved in a ‘Learning in Retirement’ programme were used to identify constraints, responses to constraints and the personal meanings of both. Results indicated a variety of emotional and behavioural responses to constraints suggesting five prominent behavioural themes and three emotional themes. Behavioural responses were grouped into: (1) reducing and eliminating; (2) persistence with commitment; (3) constraint as ‘project’; (4) substitution; and (5) exploration and self‐discovery. Emotional reactions ranged from the initial frustration to acceptance and even gratitude for the possibilities that remain. Findings are discussed in terms of the models of constraint negotiation and selective optimisation reported in the literature; but they also indicate that constraints may lead to responses that are not only personally beneficial but are also novel and transformative to some extent.     

‘My dark heaven’: Hidden voices in orphanage tourism

Literature on orphanage tourism considers the motives of Western volunteers and the problematic nature of their compulsion to ‘help’ vulnerable children in the Global South. Orphanage tourism is also increasingly adopted into ‘rescue ideologies’ (Howard, 2016) and anti-trafficking/‘modern slavery’ campaigns. The perspectives of children involved, however, are missing from these discourses. This article draws on original empirical data to explore the narratives of young Nepali adults who lived in Kathmandu orphanages as children. Through these narratives, the article explores the diverse complexities of the residents' experiences of volunteer tourism and NGO ‘rescue’, and the shortcomings of recent ‘neoabolitionist’ frameworks. The article argues that such framings are routinely oversimplified and that a more nuanced and contextualised empirical exploration is urgently needed.     

A tourist kit ‘made in Italy’: An ‘intelligent’ system for implementing new generation destination cards

This study investigates the advantages and the potentiality of the ‘tourist kit’, an Italian solution based on the concept of a prepaid card that is issued by a large postal operator. The destination card can be reloaded by tourists according to their needs and its validity is not restricted to short periods. Thus, the kit provides tourists with an integrated, practical, and flexible tool capable of making their stay more enjoyable as it allows cardholders to choose and buy many products and services at discounted prices. The kit creates customer loyalty by utilising smart technology aimed at collecting accurate tourist information. This model deserves attention because it is probably the world's first case of a large postal operator entering the tourism sector with the proposal of an integrated and advanced destination card scheme. This research also discusses interesting opportunities and challenges related to the implementation of new generation tourist cards.     

Trends in tourism and development : A ‘Third World’ perspective

The rapid development of mass tourism to the ‘Third World’ by tour operators and tourism developers in the developed world has taken advantage of the willingness of ‘Third World’ governments to participate in projects which promise vital foreign exchange. The anticipated social and economic benefits from tourism have not been forthcoming and most of the profits involved have been retained within the economies of the developed world. Various organizations are now at work to counteract the negative impacts of the developing ‘Third World’ tourism industries, and to educate the tourist to appreciate the realities of ‘Third World’ destinations.     

Health and well-being through T‘ai Chi: perceptions of older adults in Hong Kong

This study explored the meaning, associated values and benefits of T'ai Chi practice as perceived by older adults in Hong Kong. The relationship between practice and quality of life was also examined. Four focus groups with a total of 18 participants (three of whom have physical disabilities) were conducted. Categories and themes within the data were identified using content analysis. The findings indicated that T'ai Chi is chosen by the elderly participants for its gentle and soft movements. The benefits they describe include lifestyle issues as well as physical, psychological, and social aspects. The Hong Kong participants appeared unfamiliar with the term and concept of ‘quality of life’ but once explained, they were able to point out that their improvements in physical and mental health through the practice of T'ai Chi are related to their level of quality of life. The findings from the literature and this study support the belief that the practice of T'ai Chi has multiple benefits to practitioners that are not only physical in nature. It is recommended as a strategy to promote successful aging.     

Problematising ‘Festival Tourism’: Arts Festivals and Sustainable Development in Ireland

This paper problematises the term ‘festival tourism’. It conceptualises festivals as socially sustaining devices and argues that while they frequently function as tourist attractions, their social significance extends far beyond tourism. Using empirical material gathered in two case study arts festivals in Ireland, the paper demonstrates how festivals can contribute to arts development by inter alia creating demand for the arts, enhancing venue infrastructures, encouraging local creativity and animating local involvement. The paper contends that arts festivals, irrespective of their initial objectives almost inevitably develop tourist profiles over time and it proceeds to examine how changing tourism priorities in the two festivals studied impact upon sustainable festival practices. The findings suggest that tourism emerged as a key force promoting festival growth and expansion. It was found to be associated with increased revenue flows but also with increased arts activity on a year-round basis and with an improved venue infrastructure in both places. However, problems were identified with respect to the quality of the relationship forged between the festivals and local populations in the respective places. The paper concludes by arguing that festivals’ engagement with tourism needs to be carefully managed in the interests of promoting the socially sustaining function of festivals and of encouraging sustainable approaches to tourism development.     

‘Up in the air’: A conceptual critique of flying addiction

The ‘flyers’ dilemma’, where an individual’s self-identity as an environmentally-responsible consumer conflicts with the environmental impacts of frequent air travel, has been shown to produce a range of negative psychological effects. Some have argued that frequent flying may represent a site of behavioural addiction, characterized by guilt, suppression and denial. While this sort of pathologisation finds parallels in other forms of excessive consumption, its application in a tourist context is problematic in terms of classification validity, attribution of negative consequences, transfer of responsibility, and tendency towards social control and domination. We argue for an alternative conceptual approach to frequent flying which elaborates the structural reproduction of the ‘flyers’ dilemma’, rather than its individual, psychological effects.     

Performing heritage: the use of live ‘actors’ in heritage presentations

This paper investigates the phenomenon of ‘living history’ presentations of heritage, using live ‘actors’ to portray historical characters. Its aim is to discuss these presentations in the context of what may be understood as ‘heritage’, and of the nature of ‘performance’. Four case studies of heritage sites, each important as a tourist attraction, have been selected for detailed study, together with a number of other examples of heritage performance. It is clear from the empirical work that different performance strategies are employed within the heritage industry and by individual ‘actors’. Most of the performers take part as a leisure activity, and many do not consider themselves to be ‘performing’ at all. The greatest concern of participants lies in the degree of authenticity of the performance. Through ‘living history’, the ‘actors’ are drawn into an experience of heritage which has real meaning for them, and which may contribute both to a sense of identity and to an enhanced understanding of society, past and present. The popularity of such presentations with visitors also indicates that similar benefits are perceived by the ‘audience’.     

Claiming Christmas for the Tourist: ‘Living History’ in Dundurn Castle

Based on an examination of the Christmas Evening Tour at Dundurn Castle, an historic home and national heritage site located in Hamilton, Ontario, this article investigates the living history format and the means through which it involves tourists’ physical senses and mental states. It considers the format’s dependence on performative exhibitionary practices that strive to convey an ‘authentic experience’ for tourists so that they might ‘live history’. In addition, analysis of the decorated atmosphere and tour content demonstrates that the Christmas tour represents an ethnicised version of a historical holiday – the Victorian Christmas celebration – and essentialises Canadian history as being distinctively British based. Finally, this paper examines the implications of this programme in relation to the existence of multiculturalism as state policy, which recognises the existence of many cultures in Canada.     

‘Wii play as a family’: the rise in family-centred video gaming

The idea that video gaming is for the ‘whole family’, to be played in the communal space of the living room, has gained momentum since the release of Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation and Nintendo Wii. This article addresses the growing popularity in family-centred video gaming in the British context by examining the design, promotion, instatement and use of this new media technology in the home. Research on the domestication of media technology is drawn on to examine the social impulses and conditions under which family-centred video gaming is introduced in the home as a domestic leisure activity. In response to parental anxieties about children’s disengagement from family life through new media use, industry-led claims that video gaming can foster family harmony are appealing. Representations of family gaming in the Wii commercials are analysed in relation to the findings of recent independent surveys on emerging patterns of gaming between parents and children. Policy issues emerge about the potential social and educational benefits of family-centred gaming and assumptions about them made in surveys and government-commissioned reports. Important questions are raised about the family dynamics of video gaming and children’s potential to benefit from this family-centred media entertainment in diverse family contexts.     

‘All in a day's leisure’: gender and the concept of leisure

This paper suggests that leisure conceptualized as time or activity alone poses problems for gender. The underlying idea of leisure as freely-chosen, self-actualizing experience is presented as a basis for broadening the concept. Both the limitations and the freedoms inherent in the leisure experience of women and men may be explained through such a concept of leisure.

This concept leads us to explore new areas of literature, in particular feminist analyses of power. Women's lack of autonomy in comparison with men is highlighted. Finally, further research and future policy can be enhanced by this broader concept of leisure.     

‘These are the voyages …’: interaction in real and virtual space environments in leisure

This paper examines the impact of new technologies, computer‐mediated communication and information and communication technologies, on traditional, ‘face‐to‐face’ live social interaction within leisure environments. Initially recounting the factors involved in the closure of two science fiction/Star Trek fan clubs, the paper considers impacts in other leisure settings. The nature of the impact of new technologies is examined through drawing upon the cyber‐optimist versus cyber‐pessimist debate, prominent in the somewhat complex cyber zone literature. Much of the cyberspace literature is, however, both theoretical and speculative, with an acknowledgement of uncertainty over the nature of the impacts of new technologies. The paper thus concludes by proposing an agenda for research in this subject field. This is informed by earlier work by Kelly (1983) who advocated that, in addition to examining its form and environment, research on interactions should also investigate the quality of such interactions.     

Out for the count: some methodological questions in ‘publications counting’ literature

This paper considers ‘publications counting’ literature, that literature which seeks to establish league tables of the published output of academics. Often justified on the grounds of benchmarking for supporting tenure and appointment decisions, publications counting literature is revealed to be methodologically flawed. This paper focuses on the major limitations of this kind of study, presenting a conceptual critique of existing ‘publications counting’ processes, and argues that the methods of such studies are neither reasonable nor consistent. This is particularly clear in areas such as the choice of journals to be sampled, the time frame established in sampling procedures, and various arithmetic procedures employed in calculating output measures. The paper concludes with discussion of possible alternative means of achieving goals of benchmarking hospitality scholarship while suggesting that publications counting should be abandoned as a sole means of determining research excellence.     

‘Through the magic of authentic reproduction’: tourists’ perceptions of authenticity in a pioneer village

As a concept, authenticity is widely debated across tourism studies and theoretically approached from numerous perspectives. This mixed-method qualitative study utilizes a constructivist framework for examining tourists' motivations, perceptions of authenticity and landscape experience in a self-proclaimed ‘authentic reproduction’ pioneer community. Spring Mill Pioneer Village is the original location of the former village; however, as a heritage landscape, it is composed of restorations, reproductions, and replicas of nineteenth-century structures. Thus, it is an appropriate case study for the examination of tourists' perceptions of authenticity. Moreover, tourists note authenticity as a motivating factor in their decision to visit the village, yet they define the concept in numerous ways. As a result, tourists’ pioneer community experience is governed by more than their perceptions of authenticity, but engages the village landscape, active atmosphere and their own imaginations.     

‘It made me feel powerful’: women’s gendered embodiment and physical empowerment in the martial arts

This paper presents data collected from 11 females and explores their gendered and embodied experiences of the martial arts. Our research suggests that through their involvement in the martial arts, women develop physical strength, which leads to individual physical empowerment. Furthermore, the women note their involvement in the martial arts increases their confidence to defend themselves and challenge their gendered embodiment. However, despite acquiring physical strength that challenges their previous forms of gendered embodiment, their experiences remain predominantly at the level of individual empowerment. Thus, the women do not problematise normative views of gendered embodiment which position women as weak and men as strong. Nor do the women in this study question the pressure on females’ bodies to be toned and feminine. Drawing predominantly on physical feminism, we question and problematise the concepts of women’s empowerment and gendered embodiment through women’s experiences of the martial arts.     

Transformational learning through study abroad: US students’ reflections on learning about sustainability in the South Pacific

As leisure studies and higher education more generally embrace the themes of sustainability and global citizenship, it is important to investigate educational initiatives that purport to achieve these goals. Using transformational theory of transformative learning, this study examined the experiences of 150 US university students who participated in three interdisciplinary short-term study abroad programmes that focus on sustainability in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The programmes are highly experiential with the curriculum structured around modules targeted at a particular destination, visited on a specific programme. At the conclusion of the programmes, the students were asked to reflect on their experiences in response to four open-ended questions. The data were coded by the research team, and guided by the tenets of sustainability and transformative learning theory. Four themes were identified: a new sociocultural understanding; a new connection with the natural world; economic considerations; and making changes. The findings provide insights into some ways US students have been introduced to the need for, and importance of, sustainable practices in daily life. In turn, support is provided for the supposition that programmes that are highly experiential and involve critical reflection have the potential to shift students’ worldviews.