This presentation will question two opposing tendencies in the relationship between tourism and local peasant populations: a folkloric valorization of populations judged to be more authentic than elsewhere, and a marked condescension for ways of life judged to be obsolete in which the cultural gaze conceals a class judgment. The ...
(Show more)This presentation will question two opposing tendencies in the relationship between tourism and local peasant populations: a folkloric valorization of populations judged to be more authentic than elsewhere, and a marked condescension for ways of life judged to be obsolete in which the cultural gaze conceals a class judgment. The tourist frequentation of the European mountains is indeed partly motivated, since the beginning of the XIXth century, by the possibility to meet and examine the local populations. From the 1880s onwards, a form of organization of the tradition was identified in order to satisfy tourists and to develop areas that had previously remained outside the tourist flows. Culture thus became a heritage that certain local actors sought to have recognized on the national and international tourism market. On the other hand, these mountain areas, apart from the tourist areas and some industrial areas, are also experiencing a fairly strong economic and social relegation. What tourists come to admire - or condemn - are also the considerable wealth gaps that have been established in the industrial era. Their awareness of this remains to be questioned. To examine these ambiguous relationships between tourism and authenticity, we will use the writings of the local tourist associations and promoters, the archives of the National Tourist Office, travelogues and guides, as well as the writings of the tourist associations (Touring-club de France and Club alpin français).
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