Selling Paradise: Commercialization, Textiles, and Tourism on Taquile Island, Peru.
Madden, Cassidy M.
2016
- Abstract: This project examines the tourism industry as it relates to both the preservation of culture and economic development on Taquile Island, Peru. Through ethnographic research based on interviews, material analysis, and participant observation in tour groups and the homes of islanders, I consider the ways that tourist expectations of the island shape the economic and cultural resources of ... read moreits people. Once the isolated home of a poor indigenous group, Taquile has become a must-see rural tourism destination over the last thirty-five years. I analyze how this transformation has increased the value of certain cultural institutions, decreased the value of others, and created entirely new traditions. I examine in particular the textiles of the island. They are deeply ingrained in the social development and expression of Taquileños but at the same time have been commoditized for the global tourist market. Based on this, I look at how the process of enculturation via weaving has changed. I conclude that it has evolved from a tradition rooted only in internal social structures to one which also emphasizes global capitalism as tourism has become an integral part of island life. Finally, I argue that tourism presents opportunities for the economic development of Taquile, but that it also transforms cultural institutions as they become subject to the expectations of outsiders. This study questions what it means to be authentic and whether tourism presents a viable development strategy for Taquile.read less
- ID:
- hd76s981x
- Component ID:
- tufts:sd.0000397
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- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
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- Detailed Rights
