Abstract
Our critique of tourism ethnographic research argues that too much existing published work tends to cite preceding studies as methodological precedents without stating how particular approaches were operationalised. Moreover, findings are often presented as individual cases with limited utility in terms of theory building or wider understanding of contextual phenomena. We argue that closer attention, first to current developments within anthropology, which seek to overcome researcher naivety and second, greater philosophical reflexivity, would elevate both the rigour with which such work is undertaken and the seriousness with which it is received in the wider academy. We call for a double-reflexivity in ethnographic research in tourism that accepts both the specific situational nature of individual studies and the wider discursive frames within which they are embedded. We call for constant reflection on, and acknowledgment of, this duality in ethnographic research where, after all, the researcher is so intimately embedded in empirical and subjective terms.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Current Issues in Tourism |
Early online date | 12 Sept 2012 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 12 Sept 2012 |
Keywords
- cultural tourism
- philosophy
- subjectivity
- reflexivity
- ethnography