1 Cultural Tourism and Economic Development in Peru Prof. Helaine Silverman Department of Anthropology email: [email protected] GLBL 298 Global Studies Seminar Abroad 1 credit for on campus course in Fall 2012 2 credits for Peru course accomplished over Winter Break SYLLABUS FOR ON-CAMPUS AND IN-PERU PROGRAM This course deals with cultural heritage tourism and its foreseen as well as unintended social and economic impacts on local communities. Tourism is often described as the world’s largest global industry. It affects virtually all countries around the world and is eagerly promoted by most of these. We explore one of the key motors of tourism: the UNESCO World Heritage List, which is an engine of global cultural governance affecting national policy-making and local stakeholders. UNESCO World Heritage sites are a key vector of cultural tourism and its economic development. But not all tourism and development yield equally beneficial results. Moreover, the relationship between “hosts” (the people living in the foreign country) and “guests” (tourists) is complex and complicated. As we study the relationship between tourism, economic development and communities students will learn how anthropologists conduct research in a range of ethnological settings, from small rural communities, to towns whose entire existence is dependent on tourism, to cities that are struggling to negotiate the lure of tourism with the need to create a diversified economy and a socially just environment for their local residents. We investigate these issues using three of Peru’s World Heritage sites as our case study: Cuzco: former capital of the great Inca Empire and a remarkable travel destination now as well as the gateway to Machu Picchu Machu Picchu; the so-called “Lost City of the Incas” and one of the greatest ancient sites in the entire world Lima: capital of Peru whose colonial core (today’s downtown) is full of great churches and important vernacular architecture On campus dates Second eight weeks in Fall 2012: Tuesdays (5-7 p.m.) in Davenport Hall, room 312 DATES: October 16, October 23, October 30, November 6, November 13, December 4 Peru dates: during winter break January 1-12, 2013 If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may need a visa to enter Peru. Check with G3 Visas & Passports and with the Peruvian Embassy. Then double-check. Then triple-check. 2 Learning about Peru • Throughout the Cuzco-Sacred Valley portion of the program we will see fabulous sites and interesting contemporary towns. We will be speaking with many different kinds of Peruvians: university students, tour guides, hotel and restaurant owners and employee staff, ordinary people in the street, officials. • In Cuzco we will see a particularly strong local regional identity known as Cuzqueñismo, including how it plays out in tourism development. • In Lima we will see the dynamic cultural and political capital of the nation. • Throughout, we will savor Peruvian food, which is one of the world’s greatest cuisines, and you will learn how one renowned chef has created a successful marketing and branding campaign of Peruvian food, promoting it a core element of national identity. The main question/problem/theme One main research question undergirds the course on campus, in preparation for the study abroad component. Students will be challenged to consider: Why do countries seek to inscribe their archaeological sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List? Students will learn that: (1) Typically, inscription on the World Heritage List promotes cultural tourism, widely regarded as an engine of economic development; and (2) Listing as a World Heritage Site also provides “cultural capital” in the form of prestige for a country, making it a competitive player on the world stage in this era of globalization. We will especially concentrate on the first factor because World Heritage listing is not without attendant problems. It is those problems this course seeks to examine through case studies, enriched by related activities so as to provide a broad and comprehensive treatment of Peru. Therefore, the study abroad component of the course will be driven by a related set of questions: What are the political, social, and economic complications as well as officially envisioned benefits of the World Heritage List designation? Is World Heritage listing the best future for communities living within or near World Heritage Sites? Specific course objectives • Teach the students the fundamentals of ethnographic research and the field called “anthropology of tourism” • Teach the students that “the past” is directly relevant to “the present” • Teach the students about the concept of cultural heritage and its salience in this era of globalization, particularly in terms of tourism and the “manufacture and consumption of heritage” • Teach the students contemporary principles of heritage management, as codified in a series of conventions passed by UNESCO and other international bodies • Enable the students to conceive and undertake problem-focused field research that is feasible and rewarding • Enrich the students’ understanding of the complex interconnections and intersections of history, politics, ethnicity and culture as a general reality of the contemporary world • Stimulate the students to critically assess “development” as an assumed “good” by contemplating its “bad” aspects as well, and the balance between better and worse outcomes. Promoting values for global learning, diversity and sustainable futures Peru is particularly amenable to the promotion of learning about diversity and sustainable futures because of its own ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic diversity and because mass tourism is posing challenges of sustainability to the inert sites and to the communities in which or near which they are located. Students will develop inquiry/critical thinking skills through the 3 on-campus assignments and especially through the actual field experiences in Peru, which are framed as case studies of particular issues (each “visit” during the program has a purpose) and the projects the students will conduct. Course requirements and grading for the on campus portion of GLBL 298 Students must attend the on-campus meetings so as to receive that 1 credit. Always put your name on written work. Written work must be typed (i.e., print out from your computer) and neatly presented. All written work must be stapled if more than one page, or else it will not be accepted and you’ll receive a zero for that particular assignment. Work must be turned in when it is due. No makeup work. • Assignment 1: due in every class session except December 4. Prepare reading notes which you will turn in to me. You must extract and comment on the key ideas of the readings. First: quote the phrase or sentence or passage from the reading (provide reference and page number). Then write your commentary in complete sentences so that I can understand your point(s). On a separate page you need to write out three questions, based on the readings for discussion in class. You will pose your questions in class as well as turning them in to me. 20% of final grade. • Assignment 2: due November 6. You will conduct source-material research on cultural heritage tourism in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley. What do web sites and guide books such as Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Insight Guide, Footprint, National Geographic Travel Guide, Moon Cusco & Machu Picchu by Ross Wehner and Renee del Gaudio (2010), Viva Travel Guides Machu Picchu and Cusco, Peru Including the Sacred Valley and Lima (2011), etc. include and exclude? OMIT THE INCA TRAIL. Regarding the books, don’t buy them (unless you want to) – rather, you’ll be able to do the assignment by going to the amazon.com website (also try barnes & noble) and reading portions of the books online (if you close the browser and open it again, each time new pages of the books should come up – hunt around the web for access to portions of these books, also see if the UIUC library has them and check the Urbana and Champaign public libraries). What narratives do they tell about people and places in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley? What is and isn’t presented as worthwhile to see/do? How do they evaluate or propose “touristic value”? Are there recurring words, phrases or photographic images that are used? What is said about sights and sites? What context about contemporary Peru is given? Are the local people who live in these places mentioned? What’s said about them? Are any other people mentioned? Do the descriptions of sights, sites and people vary among the guidebooks and web sites and, if so, how? You need to address these questions in a written essay. You need to write enough so as to deal with the questions I am posing without repeating yourself. I expect the essay to be well written and cogently argued. You would be well served to use my questions as some of your headings in the paper. Be sure to indicate the source (reference, page number if a book, url is a website) for your statements. In addition to the written assignment, you will be expected to participate in the class discussion that considers the results of your research on this issue. 20% of final grade RECOMMENDED (not required) READING FOR THIS REQUIREMENT: Official Tourism Websites. A Discourse Analysis Perspective by Richard W. Hallett and Judith Kaplan-Weinger. Channel View, Bristol, 2010. Netnography. Doing Ethnographic Research Online by Robert V. Kozinets. Sage, 2009. 4 • Assignment 3: due November 13. Look specifically at advertised group tours of Peru