‘Asianizing the field’: questioning Critical Tourism Studies in Asia

Abstract

The relationship between Critical Tourism Studies (CTS) and Asian tourism research is worthy of research. In particular, the challenges that CTS offers to Asian tourism scholarship and how the latter expands the scope of critical thought are areas for consideration. CTS deconstructs mainstream concepts and theorizations and gives voice to the marginalized in the real world of tourism industry and also in the research domain of knowledge creation. How CTS and Asian tourism scholarship are mutually implicated is considered through six exploratory questions relating to principle, language, authorship, concepts, emancipation and pedagogy. Drawing on select literature in Asia, the criticality of extant studies is examined and meaningful directions for further critical scholarship charted. The ultimate goal is to work towards a Critical Asian Tourism Studies (CATS) in which the mutually reinforcing relationship between Asian tourism scholarship and CTS is celebrated, and where research on Asian tourism can be made more theoretical, inclusive and emancipative.

摘要

批判性旅游研究与亚洲旅游研究的关系值得研究。特别是批判性旅游研究对亚洲旅游研究的挑战, 以及亚洲旅游研究如何拓展批判性思维的视野, 都是值得思考的领域。批判性旅游研究解构主流概念和理论, 在旅游产业的现实世界和知识创造的研究领域, 为边缘群体发声。本文从原则、语言、作者身份、概念、解放、教学法等六个探索性问题来探讨批判性旅游研究与亚洲旅游学术的相互关系。借鉴亚洲的部分文献, 对现存研究的批判性进行了研究, 并为进一步的批判性研究指明了有意义的方向。最终的目标是致力于批判性的亚洲旅游研究, 在该研究中, 亚洲旅游学术与批判性旅游研究之间的相互促进关系得到赞赏, 从而亚洲旅游研究可以变得更加理论化、包容性和解放性。

Keywords:

• Critical Tourism Studies (CTS)
• Critical Asian Tourism Studies (CATS)
• Asia
• research
• knowledge
• epistemology

关键词:

• 批判性旅游研究
• 批判性亚洲旅游研究
• 亚洲
• 研究
• 知识
• 认识论

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We note that the origins of a critical paradigm lie in the work of Frankfurt’s Institute of Social Research established in 1923. The term ‘critical’ came from ‘dialectical critique of political economy’, an approach by which to critique modern society (Chambers, 2007) which also extended to a critique of traditional positivist theories as being incapable of addressing societal issues. It is argued that the goal of research is to give people, especially marginal social groups, a voice thereby emancipating them from structural exploitation (Gale, 2012).

2 In the field of Indonesian tourism research, Oktadiana and Pearce proposed the 5Ps of patronage, partnerships, professionalism, pathways and patriotic pride as ways to increase local-Indonesian involvement in research vis-à-vis bule scholars (white foreigner) (see 2017, p. 1106 particularly).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

T. C. Chang

T. C. Chang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore. His research interests include Asian tourism, urban tourism, arts/culture/heritage. He has co-edited two books on Southeast Asian and Asian tourism: Asia On Tour. Exploring the Rise of Asian Tourism (Routledge, 2009) and Interconnected Worlds: Tourism in Southeast Asia (Pergamon, 2001).