The Visual Representation of Indigenous Cultural Identities in Australian and New Zealand Tourism Campaigns

Abstract

To satisfy the desire of wealthy tourists for “exotic” locales and “unspoiled” scenery, some Australian and New Zealand organizations engage in exploiting Indigenous cultural capital and heritage. This article examines promotional video material from national tourism campaigns available on YouTube, including the Australian campaign Where the Bloody Hell Are You?, and Qantas and Air New Zealand safety videos and advertising. The analysis of textual and visual imagery demonstrates how national tourism agents utilize Indigenous cultural forms for commercial purposes, which results in cultural exploitation and expropriation as well as creation of inferior identities of Indigenous people. The study contributes to deconstructing current neocolonial models of (mis)representation of Indigenous minorities to promote emancipatory discourses about their identities.

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Elena Maydell

Elena Maydell (PhD, Victoria University of Wellington) teaches communication and public relations in the School of Communication, Journalism & Marketing at Massey University of New Zealand. Her research interests include cultural studies, critical public relations, identity studies, qualitative research methods, and critical media analysis. Her recent research was published in such journals as Narrative Inquiry; Culture, Media & Society; and others. E-mail: [email protected]