Western civilization has intruded on other cultures throughout history, from the expansion of the British Empire to the more recent Americanization of cultures worldwide. This is most effectively defined by Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony; ‘that a culturally diverse society can be dominated (ruled) by one social class, by manipulating the societal culture (beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values) so that its ruling-class worldview is imposed as the societal norm’[1]. In this blog I will explore the results of the intrusion of tourism, both positive and negative, by drawing upon personal experience.
In 2010 I travelled to India, actively seeking to learn about the country’s culture and heritage. Taking the train down from the top to the bottom of the east coast seemed like the best way to pursue this goal, and whilst a lack of funds made the experience somewhat uncomfortable, the overall aim was achieved and the trip was culturally enlightening. From there, the last stop on our journey was Goa. On arrival it was clear that this part of the country was unlike any other in India. While places like Chennai and Calcutta have strongly maintained their cultural origins despite being massively influenced by the west and especially Britain, Goa has not. Goa, after originally being ruled by various different Indian empires over the ages, eventually wound up under Portuguese control and separated from the other Indian states. In 1987, Goa was finally made the 25th state of India, however there were a lot of lingering cultural ideologies from its past Portuguese occupancy.This background made Goa what it is today, with the majority of famous architectural sites being of Portuguese origin. There is some evidence of cultural regeneration, such as the Mahasala Temple, which before was altered to fit the Portuguese’ preference but has recently been restored. Despite this, it is perhaps this western atmosphere alongside beautiful beaches that prompted Goa’s booming tourist industry. What also needs to be considered is that whilst there may still be Goan culture such as theatre, dance and music, the question has to be asked as to whether or not this is now for the tourists’ benefit, and how much of its other culture has been sacrificed? Although an important consideration, it is dominated by a much more important issue; assisting the economy and overall well-being of Indian citizens. This is clearly illustrated as today Goa is the richest state generating the most income per year in India, with the highest standard of living. On the whole I think India still holds enough of its cultural heritage to let Goa become what it is today, but in a cultural sense it was definitely a disappointing end to my travels.
It is definitely clear that tourism has also had in my opinion totally negative impacts, for example in Thailand. The islands of Phi Phi, situated off the western coast of Thailand, used to be incredibly secluded and unheard of, a place that of natural beauty and natural cultural heritage for the locals. This fact is ironically advertised by the film ‘The Beach’, however today that could not be further from the truth; the islands are now almost permanently swarming with tourists. Whether or not the film was a direct cause of this is another matter; however it definitely must have had some negative effects. The beach from the film in particular is a prime example of tourism’s negative influence, as now it can only be viewed for 30 minutes at a time due to there being so many people wanting to view it. In my opinion this area did not need more anymore tourism because the surrounding area and islands were already some of the main tourist locations in Thailand, for example Phuket, therefore it seems totally unnecessary that more should be created.
What I would like to make clear is that this blog is not a direct attack at tourism as I am well-aware that I was one of those tourists, however I do personally believe that overall the results of tourism on culture are generally negative, as most of the time it destroys cultural heritage to make way for western society. It is true that this invasion does have a lot of benefits, some of them occasionally incredibly necessary, but again it is a question of how much we value culture over other important considerations.
References:
1. 10th of October Matt Kirby 210 Lecture Slide 3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony accessed on the 14th of November 2011)
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