The bushman Brand in Southern African Tourism: An Indigenous Modernity in a Neoliberal Political Economy. Stasja Koot
Tipo de material: ArtículoIdioma: Inglés Series Senri Ethnological Studies ; no. 99 | National Museum of Ethnology Osaka ; Detalles de publicación: Osaka-JP : National Museum Ethnology, 2018.Descripción: páginas 231-250: ilustraciones blanco y negroTema(s): En: National Museum of Ethnology Senri Ethnological StudiesResumen: Many scholars have explained that the primordial image of Bushmen, in which they are represented as the 'authentic indigenous people of nature, is a significant construct that contributes to their contemporary marginalised status. This image continues in the post-independence and post-apartheid contexts of South African and Namibian tourism. In this industry, the Bushman image tends to be fortified in the context of a broader neoliberal political economy. This fortification has consequently created a setting in which images are commodified more than ever before, although this is of course the result of a longer historical process. This chapter explores how the image of the Bushmen has changed throughout history, where it stands today in tourism, and what the consequences of this are. The Bushman image is demonstrated to have become a brand, the 'Bushman brand", suited mostly to Western ideas about who these people are. Today, Bushmen show a strong dependence upon market forces if they wish to work in tourism, where they are compelled to invent and reinvent their traditions based on tourists' expectations. This process creates an uncomfortable contradiction for those working in or supporting tourism: using the Bushman brand to adapt to the demands of tourism simultaneously makes this a product, which is generally considered 'inauthentic'. However, although at first this might sound like an exploitative situation in which the Bushmen are victims of more powerful forces in the market, the author argues that in some cases the Bushman brand can provide for their agency, to be used strategically as a so-called indigenousExistencias: 1Tipo de ítem | Biblioteca actual | Colección | Signatura topográfica | Info Vol | Copia número | Estado | Código de barras | |
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Publicaciones Periodicas Extranjeras | Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore Centro de procesamiento | Revistas | E/ SEN-ETH-S/ (99)2018 | no.99 | 1 | Disponible | HEMREV035338 |
Many scholars have explained that the primordial image of Bushmen, in which they are represented as the 'authentic indigenous people of nature, is a significant construct that contributes to their contemporary marginalised status. This image continues in the post-independence and post-apartheid contexts of South African and Namibian tourism. In this industry, the Bushman image tends to be fortified in the context of a broader neoliberal political economy. This fortification has consequently created a setting in which images are commodified more than ever before, although this is of course the result of a longer historical process. This chapter explores how the image of the Bushmen has changed throughout history, where it stands today in tourism, and what the consequences of this are. The Bushman image is demonstrated to have become a brand, the 'Bushman brand", suited mostly to Western ideas about who these people are. Today, Bushmen show a strong dependence upon market forces if they wish to work in tourism, where they are compelled to invent and reinvent their traditions based on tourists' expectations. This process creates an uncomfortable contradiction for those working in or supporting tourism: using the Bushman brand to adapt to the demands of tourism simultaneously makes this a product, which is generally considered 'inauthentic'. However, although at first this might sound like an exploitative situation in which the Bushmen are victims of more powerful forces in the market, the author argues that in some cases the Bushman brand can provide for their agency, to be used strategically as a so-called indigenous
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