Can Landscape Empower Rural “Minorities” Through Tourism? Eco-Ethnicity in the Highlands of India, Nepal, China, Laos and Vietnam
Author | Frédéric Landy, Raghubir Chand, Steve Dery, Pierre Dérioz, Olivier Ducourtieux, Nadège Garambois, Evelyne Gauché, Marie-Anne Germaine, Lisa Hiwasaki, Mauve Letang, Isabelle Sacareau |
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Publisher | Institut Français de Pondichéry / Centre de Sciences Humaines |
Year | 2020 |
Pages | 31 p. |
Series | CSH-IFP Working Papers n°17 |
Language | English |
Tags | Social Sciences Human Societies Environment |
Remarks | Not for sale |
Why is rural tourism growing in some “marginal” Asian highlands but not in others? Why, in the regions with growing rural tourism, are “local people” impacted in different ways? Based on qualitative fieldwork research, this paper addresses these issues through a comparison of five highland case studies in India (Kumaon), Nepal (Annapurna), China (Guizhou), Vietnam (Lam Dong) and Laos (Luang Namtha). It tests the following hypothesis among others: What we call eco-ethnicity – the dual visibility of ethnic and environmental identity of a group – explains to a large extent the empowerment of local groups. Being endowed with a significant eco-ethnicity can provide substantial soft power to a group.
rural tourism, mountains, Asia, eco-ethnicity, minorities