Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
geographical journal publications on tourism. For this reason, it is worth considering the
skills and techniques that geographers can harness in tourism and recreation research.
CULTURE
The cultural dimensions of the geography of tourism and recreation—the sociology of
knowledge of the subdiscipline—as with that of tourism and recreation studies as a
whole, have been little studied. This is extremely unfortunate as it means there is a very
incomplete comprehension of where the subdiscipline has been, which must also clearly
affect our understanding of where it might go. As Barnes (1982) commented:
Social, technical and economic determinants routinely affect the rate and
direction of scientific growth…. It is true that much scientific change
occurs despite, rather than because of, external direction or financial
control…. Progress in the disinterested study [of certain]…areas has
probably occurred just that bit more rapidly because of their relevance to
other matters.
(Barnes 1982:102-3)
Similarly, Johnston (1991) observed that
the study of a discipline must be set in its societal context. It must not
necessarily be assumed, however, that members of academic communities
fully accept the social context and the directives and impulses that it
issues. They may wish to counter it, and use their academic base as a
focus for their discontent. But the (potential) limits to that discontent are
substantial. Most academic communities are located in universities, many
of which are dependent for their existence on public funds disbursed by
governments which may use their financial power to influence, if not
direct, what is taught and researched. And some universities are dependent
on private sources of finance, so they must convince their sponsors that
their work is relevant to current societal concerns.
(Johnston 1991:24-5)
As noted above, research into the geographical dimensions of tourism has received
relatively little attention in the wider fields of academic geography. Several related
factors can be recognised as accounting for this situation:
• There is only a narrow set of official interest in conducting research into the geography
of tourism.
• Tourism is not regarded as a serious scholarly subject.
• Not only are there substantial unresolved theoretical issues in conducting geographical
studies of tourism and recreation but also much theorisation is relatively weak.
• Tourism and recreation geographers have had little success in promoting their
subdiscipine in the broader geographical context.
