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TOURISM AND CHANGE IN COSTA RICA: PURA VIDA, POWER AND PLACE IN A SMALL BEACH COMMUNITY by DAVID MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Sociology and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2018 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: David Michael Dominguez Title: Tourism and Change in Costa Rica: Pura Vida, Power and Place in a Small Beach Community This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Sociology by: John B. Foster Co-Chair Richard York Co-Chair Jill Harrison Core Member Yvonne Braun Institutional Representative and Janet Woodruff-Borden Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded September 2018 ii © 2018 David Michael Dominguez iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT David Michael Dominguez Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology September 2018 Title: Tourism and Change in Costa Rica: Pura Vida, Power and Place in a Small Beach Community A vast majority of tourism development in Guanacaste has occurred in the northern coastal region along the Pacific coast (Honey, Vargas and Durham 2010). However, recent development is beginning to move south as developers visualize big returns on early investments. As new tourism development continues to expand in the southern region of the Nicoya Peninsula, small communities are being transformed from small fishing and farming communities to communities heavily reliant on tourism. Playa Azul, a small beach town in the southern region of the Nicoya Peninsula, is one such community. This dissertation utilizes ethnographic fieldwork to examine the impacts of tourism on the daily lives of residents of Playa Azul, particularly looking at how local residents cope with perceived changes to the norms and values of the community as tourism development continues to expand in the area. The penetration of foreign capital into the community is having a transformative effect on community relations, particularly challenging community norms and values. It is my contention that as Playa Azul continues to develop as a primary tourist destination and development continues to expand, the rifts within the community between existing community members (Azuleños, iv foreign Ticos and lifestyle migrants) and newly arriving “business-oriented” members will continue to grow with it. I argue this has led to subtle forms of resistance among community members as they work to maintain the pura vida “vibe” of the town and the values that support a multicultural community based on humility, cultural acceptance and mutual respect. v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: David Michael Dominguez GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene, OR Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA Fresno City College, Fresno, CA DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, 2018, University of Oregon Master of Science, Sociology, 2016, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, 2001, San Francisco State University Associate of Arts, Liberal Arts, 1995, Fresno City College AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Environment and Society Social Stratification Tourism Mass Media Sociological Theory PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of Sociology, University of Oregon 2008 - 2018 Graduate Research Assistant, Dr. Samuel P. Oliner, Humboldt State University 2005 - 2006 Graduate Research Assistant, Dr. Judith K. Little, Humboldt State University 2004 - 2005 Teaching Assistant, Department of Sociology, Humboldt State University 2003 - 2004 vi GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Sociology Department Small Research Grant, University of Oregon, 2015-2016 Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Oregon, 2008-2012 California State University Graduate Equity Fellowship, Humboldt State University, 2004-2006 Francis Fisher Memorial Scholarship, Humboldt State University, 2004-2006 PUBLICATIONS: Braun, Yvonne, Michael Dreiling, Matthew Eddy and David Dominguez. 2015. “Up Against the Wall: Ecotourism, Development and Social Justice in Costa Rica.” Journal of Global Ethics 11(3):351-365. Dominguez, David. 2004. [Book Review] “After Theory by Terry Eagleton.” Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 28(2):167-171. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to start by thanking all of the people who call Playa Azul home. Without their kindness and willingness to share parts of their lives with me, this dissertation would not have been possible. I want to thank Chris Blum and Janea Pratt who helped me with things big and small too numerous times to count along the way. I also want to thank my committee members for their support through this process. I especially want to thank Richard York and John Foster for taking the time out of their busy schedules to offer help when I needed it, not only with this dissertation but throughout my time in the graduate program. I would not have completed this without their support. I would also like to thank family and friends who encouraged me to persevere when I thought the project was too big to complete. In particular, I want to thank my parents, Henry and Jessica Dominguez, who have always encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and do things I didn’t think I could do. I also want to thank Chris Hardnack, Jeff Gunn and Lora Vess for keeping me grounded through the writing process and continually reminding me that life can be ridiculous sometimes and in those times, all we can do is stop, take a look around and have a good laugh. I want to thank Kim Sisu for her endless support throughout the writing process and for reading drafts of some of the sections of this dissertation as well as Janna Lendel and Francisco Arias for helping with numerous aspects of the research while in Playa Azul and after I returned home. I am also eternally grateful to Luiz Barbosa who encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree so many years ago when I was a student of his at San Francisco State and who, over the years, has continued to offer words of encouragement and support. Lastly, I want to thank viii the sociology department at the University of Oregon for providing a small grant for this research. ix For the residents of Playa Azul x TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 1 Evolution of Sustainable Tourism........................................................................... 10 Ecotourism .............................................................................................................. 16 Benefits and Drawbacks of Ecotourism Development ..................................... 18 Ecotourism and Community.............................................................................. 21 Mass Ecotourism – Old Wine in New Bottles? ...................................................... 22 Historical Development of Tourism in Costa Rica ................................................ 26 Tourism Development in Guanacaste ............................................................... 30 Tourism Development in Playa Azul................................................................ 31 Purpose of Study............................................................................................... 33 II. METHODS AND DATA ........................................................................................ 36 “Sometimes, You Just Have To Put It in the Wind” – Choosing the Research Site .......................................................................................................................... 37 Why Ethnography ................................................................................................... 41 The Research Design .............................................................................................. 42 The Language School ................................................................................. 44 The Three Stages of Research ................................................................................ 45 The Exploratory Stage (Tourist Stage) ............................................................. 46 The Immersion Stage (Resident Stage) ............................................................ 49 Triangulation Stage (Reflection Stage) ............................................................ 51 Data Collection........................................................................................................ 51 xi Chapter Page Participant Observation and Community Engagement ..................................... 52 Interviews .......................................................................................................... 53 Field Notes ....................................................................................................... 56 Interview Sample .............................................................................................. 56 Institutional Review Board............................................................................... 56 Issues and Bias........................................................................................................ 57 Strengths and Weaknesses of Study ....................................................................... 59 Future Research .....................................................................................................
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