In search of traces of ‘The Tourist Gaze’ on locals: an ethnographic study in Garmeh village, Iran

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the meaning reconstruction of consequences of the tourism boom with a social interpretive approach. This approach presupposes that social actors play a key role in constructing and reconstructing their lives. This study seeks to answer the question of how the people of Garmeh village interpret the changes caused by the tourism boom? Data were collected over a period of four months using ethnographic methods and were analyzed using grounded theory. In this respect, the tourism boom consequences were classified into six themes consisting of economy, social interactions, beliefs, education, consumption patterns, and leisure time. Through the process of data analysis, the following six core categories were emerged from selective coding process; improving livelihoods, sustainable social relationships, belief foreshocks, deprivation, consumerism, and tourism as a leisure ground. Results suggest that locals consider the consequences of tourism constructive and subversive. They perceived the tourism consequences as bestowing the modern ways of life and growth of the village, while simultaneously threatening cultural beliefs and the traditional lifestyle. The results are presented in a model consisting of conditions, interactions, and consequences.

KEYWORDS:

• The Tourist Gaze
• ethnography
• cultural change
• meaning reconstruction
• Garmeh village

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zohreh Korani

Zohreh Korani has a master's degree in Tourism from Art University of Isfahan. She has also some papers in the fields of tourism presented in national and international conferences. Her research interests lie in tourism, cultural tourism, and anthropology of tourism.

Zahed Shafiei

Zahed Shafiei completed his BA degree in Iran in the field of Urban Geography and planning. He continued his postgraduate studies at the University of Leicester, UK. In 2011, he received his Ph.D. degree from Newcastle University, School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. He is an assistant professor at the Art University of Isfahan. His research interests include tourism management and governance.