tourism paradoxes
challenges to scholarship and practice
ISA-RC50 in-between conference
6-9 april 2016, chiang mai, thailand
RC50 Home
conference schedule
The Paradoxes of Space Tourism
Dr. Erik Cohen, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Space tourism is widely considered to be the next step in the expansion of tourism. In this address, I take a critical look at its future, in a discussion of four principal paradoxes inherent in efforts to develop space tourism: 1. The limitations on human cosmic expansion; 2. The subversion of “adventure” in space tourism; 3. The banalization of the sublimity of the experience of space tourism; and 4. The deflowering of the “pristinity” of other heavenly bodies by space exploitation and tourism development. I draw some speculative conclusions regarding the prospects and limitations of this emergent direction of the future expansion of the tourism industry.
keynote addresses
Compliance & Dissent in the House of Tourism Studies
Dr. Ana María Munar, Copenhagen Business School
In this keynote I suggest that we are experiencing the further intensification of an ‘old’ era, which is characterized by persistent processes of bureaucratization and commercialization of knowledge production. These processes have severe consequences for two core features of universities: the open-ended search for deeper understanding and the principle of autonomy. There is a need to change the level of analysis (i.e. from the micro level of different schools of thought, topics or methodologies) to a meta ‘paradigmatic’ level and to connect epistemology to major societal evolution. I will introduce a metaphor – the house – to visualize the evolution of tourism studies and apply Habermas’ philosophy to examine the environment and architecture of this house. The presentation will discuss the consequences of ‘systemic’ dominance and its relation to academic cultures of compliance and dissent. I will finalize by reclaiming the political dimension of the epistemic endeavor and presenting a series of initiatives to advance tourism scholarship.
The International Tourism Academia: A Paradoxical Challenge
Dr. Vincent Platenkamp, NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
There is a high degree of solipsism in every language tradition. George Steiner claimed that to learn a new language is to open a new window on the world. These windows are crucial to make international tourism studies more worthwhile. But how solipsistic is the English window as a lingua franca? Global power made English the lingua franca. This has created many advantages, because it facilitates tourism discourses to cross borders. World-making becomes a challenging opportunity. But, how can we decentre the predominantly English centred, international, tourism academy and at the same time make use of these challenges. In this keynote address, an attempt will be made to approach this question in two phases. Firs, there is a (postcolonial) need to contextualize the study of tourism research. Secondly, these contextualized efforts need to be translated into a polyphonic dialogue on the agora.
April 5, Tuesday
17:00-20:00 Registration & Welcome Drinks & Open Buffet | Petcharat Room, 3rd Floor
April 6, Wednesday
08:00-09:00 Registration | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
09:00-09:55 Opening Ceremony | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
10:00-10:45 Keynote: Erik Cohen | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
10:45-11:00 Refreshment Break | Petcharat Room, 3rd Floor
11:30-13:00 Breakout Sessions | Noppakao & Petcharat Rooms, 3rd Floor
13:00-14:00 Lunch | International Buffet Lunch, The Coffee Shop
14:00-15:00 Keynote: Vincent Platenkamp | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
15:30-16:00 Refreshment Break | Petcharat Room, 3rd Floor
16:00-17:30 Breakout Sessions | Noppakao & Petcharat Rooms, 3rd Floor
April 7, Thursday
08:00-08:30 Registration | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
09:00-10:00 Keynote: Ana María Munar | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
10:30-11:00 Refreshment Break | Petcharat Room, 3rd Floor
12:00-13:00 Lunch | International Buffet Lunch, The Coffee Shop
13:00-15:00 Breakout Sessions | Noppakao & Petcharat Rooms, 3rd Floor
15:00-15:30 Refreshment Break | Petcharat Room, 3rd Floor
15:00-18:00 Breakout Sessions | Noppakao & Petcharat Rooms, 3rd Floor
19:00-22:00 Gala Dinner | Location TBA (please sign up at registration desk)
April 8, Friday
08:00-09:00 Registration | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
10:00-10:30 Refreshment Break | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
10:30-11:30 Panel Discussion | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
11:30-12:00 Closing Ceremony | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
12:00-12:30 Contingencies | Noppakao Room, 3rd Floor
12:30-13:30 Lunch | International Buffet Lunch, The Coffee Shop
13:30-18:00 Social Activities | City & Temple Tour or Handicraft Village Program
April 9, Saturday
09:00-18:00 Optional Tours (Separate registration required)