Rethinking rurality in rural tourism: a new materialist approach

Abstract

The concept of rurality has been widely debated among scholars, yet rarely questioned in tourism research. We argue that new approaches to rurality in rural tourism research need to be explored if a more inclusive and diverse rurality is to be found. For this purpose, three fundamental dimensions of dominant approaches to tourism rurality, particularly in the Global North, are problematized in the paper: rural as the opposite of, what is not an urban space, rurality as idyllic/romantic landscapes, and rural authenticity as symbolically and existentially perceived by the visitor. The paper then contends that these three dominant taken-for-granted dimensions reinforce a normative conception of rurality which potentially marginalizes, obstructs, and excludes the flourishing of alternative ruralities in rural tourism destinations. A new theoretical approach to rural tourism, which draws on Massey’s relational perspective of space and a new-materialist ontology is proposed, where more inclusive and diverse forms of tourism rurality and more open and non-hierarchical rural assemblages can be envisaged as a result.

Keywords:

• Assemblages
• differential authenticity
• Doreen Massey
• new materialism
• new ruralities
• rural idyll
• rural tourism

Acknowledgements

M.A.T. acknowledges the support received from the Maria Zambrano Programme, the European Union-Next Generation EU and the Ministry of Universities of the Government of Spain.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marlisa Ayu Trisia

Marlisa Ayu Trisia is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Girona, Spain. Currently, her research focuses on the role and impacts of tourism in rural development from the lens of posthumanist and new-materialist approaches.

Lluís Prats

Lluís Prats is an associate professor at the University of Girona, Spain. His research focuses on tourism destination management and product development.

Jaume Guia

Jaume Guia is a professor at the University of Girona, Spain and visiting researcher at the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His recent research focuses on posthumanist, Deleuzian and new-materialist approaches in tourism research, and reconceptualizing its dominant understandings of justice, coordination, cosmopolitanism, and hospitality.