Tourism, Diaspora and the Mediation of Vacationscapes : Some Lessons from Enticing Jewish- Americans to Germany - article ; n°2 ; vol.21, pg 327-340

Tim Coles

Description

Espace, populations, sociétés - Année 2003 - Volume 21 - Numéro 2 - Pages 327-340
Tourisme, diaspora et médiation des espaces de vacances : quelques leçons de la mise en scène de l'Allemagne pour les Juifs américains.
Cet article vise a approfondir la recherche du rapport entre tourisme et communautés de diasporas. Une étude des textes et théories concernant la notion de communautés de diaspora indique que la relation entre tourisme et communautés de diaspora n'a pas été suffisamment théorisée. De plus les théories élaborées jusqu'à présent se sont révélées incomplètes. Quelques études récentes ont cherché à revaloriser ce rapport, cependant cet article identifie quatre types de circulations de voyage, espaces de destination et expériences distinctes concernant les communautés de diasporas. Plutôt que de choisir la méthode habituelle centrée sur le touriste, l'auteur se base sur une approche centrée sur l'offre touristique. Ainsi la présentation de l'Allemagne aux Juifs américains montre que les espaces de vacances, produits, événements et expériences touristiques sont semblables pour tous les groupes qui envisagent de les découvrir, à savoir hybrides. En effet, les 'vacances hybrides' sont produites pour des 'gens hybrides'. Quelques unes des conséquences relatives aux concepts et à la gestion de ce modèle sont débattues.
This paper attempts to inject a new impetus to research into the relationship between tourism and diaspora communities. A review of the discourses and ideas underpinning the concept of diaspora suggest that the tourism-diaspora interface has been both undertheorized and only partially revealed. While some revalorisation of this relationship is suggested in some recent work, this paper identifies four types of travel flows, destination spaces and experiences distinctive to diasporas. In so doing it suggests that, rather than by adopting the usual tourist- centred approach, a supply-side reading of the attempts to present Germany to Jewish- Americans reveals that the vacationscapes, products, events and the experiences are like the groups they seek to access: namely, hybridised. In effect, 'hybrid holidays' for produced for 'hybrid people'. Some of the conceptual and management implications of this observation are discussed.
14 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: ESPACE-_POPULATIONS-_SOCIETES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2003
• Nombre de lectures: 48
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Tim Coles
Tourism, Diaspora and the Mediation of Vacationscapes : Some
Lessons from Enticing Jewish- Americans to Germany
In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 2003-2. Tourisme et dynamiques démographiques. pp. 327-340.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Coles Tim. Tourism, Diaspora and the Mediation of Vacationscapes : Some Lessons from Enticing Jewish- Americans to
Germany . In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 2003-2. Tourisme et dynamiques démographiques. pp. 327-340.
doi : 10.3406/espos.2003.2085
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/espos_0755-7809_2003_num_21_2_2085Résumé
Tourisme, diaspora et médiation des espaces de vacances : quelques leçons de la mise en scène de
l'Allemagne pour les Juifs américains.
Cet article vise a approfondir la recherche du rapport entre tourisme et communautés de diasporas.
Une étude des textes et théories concernant la notion de communautés de diaspora indique que la
relation entre tourisme et communautés de diaspora n'a pas été suffisamment théorisée. De plus les
théories élaborées jusqu'à présent se sont révélées incomplètes. Quelques études récentes ont
cherché à revaloriser ce rapport, cependant cet article identifie quatre types de circulations de voyage,
espaces de destination et expériences distinctes concernant les communautés de diasporas. Plutôt que
de choisir la méthode habituelle centrée sur le touriste, l'auteur se base sur une approche centrée sur
l'offre touristique. Ainsi la présentation de l'Allemagne aux Juifs américains montre que les espaces de
vacances, produits, événements et expériences touristiques sont semblables pour tous les groupes qui
envisagent de les découvrir, à savoir hybrides. En effet, les 'vacances hybrides' sont produites pour des
'gens hybrides'. Quelques unes des conséquences relatives aux concepts et à la gestion de ce modèle
sont débattues.
Abstract
This paper attempts to inject a new impetus to research into the relationship between tourism and
diaspora communities. A review of the discourses and ideas underpinning the concept of diaspora
suggest that the tourism-diaspora interface has been both undertheorized and only partially revealed.
While some revalorisation of this relationship is suggested in some recent work, this paper identifies
four types of travel flows, destination spaces and experiences distinctive to diasporas. In so doing it
suggests that, rather than by adopting the usual tourist- centred approach, a supply-side reading of the
attempts to present Germany to Jewish- Americans reveals that the vacationscapes, products, events
and the experiences are like the groups they seek to access: namely, hybridised. In effect, 'hybrid
holidays' for produced for 'hybrid people'. Some of the conceptual and management implications of this
observation are discussed.COLES Tourism Research Group Tim
School of Geography and Archaeology
University of Exeter
Amory Building, Rennes Drive
Exeter, Devon, EX4 4RJ
Royaume-Uni
[e-mail]
Tourism, Diaspora and the
Mediation of Vacationscapes :
Some Lessons from Enticing
Jewish- Americans to Germany
1. DIASPORA AND TOURISM : SETTING THE TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT
In the view of Mitchell (1997, p. 534), the original point of dispersal, the 'homeland',
term diaspora has been used by most as occupying a focal point in the mediation
scholars in a working sense to describe 'the of diasporic community identities. Although
situation of a people living outside of communities vary greatly, Cohen
their traditional homeland'. According to (1997, ix) contends that, irrespective of their
historical trajectories and experiences, all Helmreich (1992, p. 243), the etymology of
word 'diaspora' 'acknowledge that the "old country" - a may be traced back to the
Greek words for 'dispersion' and 'through', notion buried deep in language, religion,
custom or folklore - always has some claim and originates in the Greek translation of the
Book of Deuteronomy in the Bible. For on their loyalty and emotions'. Similarly, 'a
member's adherence to a diasporic communCohen (1997, ix), 'when applied to humans,
ity is demonstrated by an acceptance of an the ancient Greeks thought of diaspora as
inescapable link with their past migration migration and colonization' but for several
history and a sense of co-ethnicity with groups - Jews, Palestinians and Armenians
others of a similar background.' notable among them - diaspora has had
much more sinister historical connotations, Migratory episodes and the interface be
signifying as it does a sense of group ident tween the semantic coupling of the homeland
and the host land have resulted in many ity resulting from collective trauma, banish
ment and exile. Diasporas are groups of diasporic groups also being termed 'hyphe
people scattered across the world but drawn nated communities'. For example, people
together as a community by their actual (and originally of Irish origin settled in the
in some cases perceived or imagined) comUnited States of America are referred to as
'Irish- Americans', persons of Asian descent mon bonds of ethnicity, culture, religion,
national identity, and sometimes race. in the United Kingdom are often described
Several writers note the importance of the as 'British-Asians', Russians with German 328
more a systematic and nuanced treatment of ancestry from Volgaland who subsequently
migrated to the United States are German- the relationship between diaspora and tou
Russian-Americans. Such terms have the rism by drawing attention to the different
habit of masking often important differentia types of travel flows and events associated
tions within wider diasporic communities as with diaspora members. As such the paper
well as obscuring the particularities and has to be viewed as a clarion call and explo
complexities of trajectories and episodes of ratory attempt to sketch out more fully some
past identity formation. Thus, they should of the main ideas and themes this research
not be understood in a very static, almost could, and indeed should, take. Connections
between 'tourism and migration' (Hall and emulatory sense of reproducing the home
community elsewhere, as it were 'outside' Williams, 2002), 'tourism and ethnicity'
or even 'abroad', as a virtual carbon copy. (Ostrowski, 1991; King, 1994; Hoelscher,
They are not referring to the sole and exclu 1998; Wood, 1998; Hitchcock, 1999;
sive reproduction of Irish culture in America indigeneity' Moscardo and (Barnett, Pearce, 1999), 1997; Ryan, 'tourism 1997; and or Asian culture in Britain (whatever either
may or may not be!). Instead, as Soja's work Zeppel, 1998), 'tourism and national ident
ity', and 'tourism and religion' (Park, 1994; (1996) intimates, it is effectively the hyphen
in the metaphor of 'hyphenated community' Vukovic, 1996) have been well mapped out.
that is crucial to unravelling the contempor Within these thematic areas diasporic com
ary state of that groups' munities have been acknowledged but in a identity and its
unfolding nature over time. Such diasporic partial, sometimes circumferential manner,
communities are notable for their hybridity; and crucially in a semantic sense often
without acknowledgement of the term put simply, their identity is shaped by a
melange of influences and constraints - cul diaspora and the manifold connotations this
tural, social, political, economic - mediated has. For instance, King (1994, p. 173) has
through ancestral inheritance, the process of considered diasporic tourism as part of his
migration, the experience in the destination 'travel for ethnic reunion'. Here the choice
space, and further subsequent influences of term and conceptualisation is important.
from the homeland to the remote diasporic As part of their tourism consumption pat
communities (see Soja, 1996 and Mitchell, terns, the propensity of hyphenated commun
1997 for fuller discussions). Thus, diasporic ities to visit friends and relatives (VFR)
identity is multi-faceted and composed of elsewhere in the diaspora to confirm trans
complexly inter-woven strands of ethnicity, national networks of social relations has
religion and ancestry. Although professing a been identified in recent work (King and
common bond to the homeland as well as Gammage, 1994; Feng and Page, 2000;
accepting some common historical antece Kang and Page, 2000).
dents, as an example Scots-Americans,
The tourism research agenda has to progress Scots-Canadians, Scots-New Zealanders,
beyond the prevailing orthodoxy of viewing and Scots-South Africans will for this reason
diasporic communities as just another partiinevitably have similar, yet contrasting ident
cular set -albeit distinctive- of ethnic groups ities, shaped as they have been and will
for whom tourism is a medium through continue to be by the alternative narratives
which ethnic identities and relations are and stimuli in the receiving countries.