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More importantly, perhaps, development has long been criticised as a
Western-centric philosophy, a process whereby Western economic and socio-
cultural values have become the objective of development - in short, a pro-
cess based upon the belief that 'West is best'. Equally, and reinforcing the
argument, Western-inspired development policies have also been seen as
mechanisms for the imposition of economic control over less developed coun-
tries to an extent that is equally, if not more, pervasive than the preceding
colonial system (Escobar, 1997). Certainly, the early concepts of develop-
ment as economic growth and modernisation demonstrated a Western bias,
but even the most recent concept of sustainable development is criticised for
reflecting classic Western-centric economic growth principles. For many
developing countries, escaping from the pollution of poverty is more vital
than the luxury of sustainability.
It is not possible here to explore the idea of post-development in depth
(see, for example, Rahnema & Bawtree, 1997; Sidaway, 2007), although the
criticisms levelled at the development paradigms that comprise the 'age of
development' are addressed in Chapter 2. The important point is that doubts
have been raised about the validity of development, as an essentially Western-
inspired concept, as a global process and objective. Indeed, it has been argued
(in a rather romantic, idealistic sense) that under-developed, pre-industrial
societies may, paradoxically better represent the 'good life' than developed
societies: 'the world's most primitive people have few possessions,
but they
are not poor
. Poverty is not a certain small amount of goods, nor is it a relation
between means and ends; above all it is a relation between people' (Sahlins,
1997: 19). Thus, if development itself is a debatable concept, then the poten-
tial for any activity, including tourism, to contribute to development must
also be in doubt.
Nevertheless, it is an inescapable fact that many countries of the world
are 'worse off' than other countries, and that even within the industrialised
nations, certain regions are 'poorer' or enjoy fewer opportunities and benefits
than others. At the same time, it is also an inescapable fact that tourism
represents one (and in some cases, the only) avenue along which develop-
ment or the 'good life' may be pursued. The extent to which this is achiev-
able through tourism is the primary focus of this topic. Chapter 2 explores
the evolution of development thought since the end of World War II and its
relation to tourism, including emerging ideas beyond post-development.
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