Greenlandic independence and tourism Futures:Exploring Modern and Ethnic Logics
In this invited contribution, we explore Greenlandic futures at the intersection of possible independence and tourism development. As noted earlier, alongside fishing and mining, tourism is one of three ‘pillars’ considered fundamental to sustaining a future self-sufficient Greenlandic economy. With...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | English |
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CABI Publishing
2021
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| Online Access: | https://vbn.aau.dk/da/publications/0d3d6fd5-1fad-4891-9431-4fb97ffcfe53 https://www.cabi.org/bookshop/book/9781789246728/ |
| Summary: | In this invited contribution, we explore Greenlandic futures at the intersection of possible independence and tourism development. As noted earlier, alongside fishing and mining, tourism is one of three ‘pillars’ considered fundamental to sustaining a future self-sufficient Greenlandic economy. With Greenland slowly moving towards independence from Denmark, the future trajectories of tourism and statehood in Greenland are thus inextricably intertwined – politically as well as economically. To further investigate tourism as an arena for discussing independence, we begin by identifying and describing the ‘identity logics’ underpinning political debate around independence in Greenland and trace these in our analysis into current tourism activities in Greenland. These logics are analytical constructs that we do not seek to find empirically in their pure form, but rather use as tools to understand statements and events in the Greenlandic independence process. The analysis is based on a review of current and former Greenlandic tourism strategies and campaigns together with a series of qualitative interviews and a workshop with Greenlandic tourism actors. In the first logic – modernity – Greenland is following a path to statehood, where tourism is inscribed in the building of a strong national identity, enabled through infrastructure development on and mobility within Greenlandic territory. In the second, ethnic logic, a path that leads to strengthened Inuit identity, tourism is about immersion in Indigenous tradition and ethnic expressions. In the analysis, we trace the modernity and ethnic logics through two tourism trajectories. We emphasise that the logics are abstractions that do not exist empirically in their pure form, as they intersect and entangle in practice. But they are instructive in being distilled as each holds distinct answers to how tourism in Greenland can and should play out in the future. While the two dominant logics underpinning independence in Greenland are identifiable within both political and ... |
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