UNDERSTANDING RURAL INDONESIAN CULTURE THROUGH REFLEXIVE PHOTOGRAPHY AS A MEANS OF DEVELOPING TOURISM By IGNATIUS PULUNG DWI CAHYANTO A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1 © 2008 Ignatius Pulung Dwi Cahyanto 2 (To everyone who dedicates their lives to tourism) 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not be possible (nor very useful) without the constant support of many people. For that, I would like to thank the following people. First of all, I would like to express my highest and deepest gratitude to God for a lifetime of love and endless inspiration. My special gratitude also goes to my parents, my brother, and my relatives for their financial, mental, and spiritual support. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Lori Pennington-Gray for being an outstanding advisor and excellent professor. Her constant encouragement, support, and invaluable suggestions made this work successful. She has been everything that one could want in an advisor. I am also indebted to my committee members Dr. Brijesh Thapa and Dr. Ben Smith for reviewing this thesis and providing valuable feedback. They made this thesis an enjoyable experience for me. My sincere gratitude also goes to Dr. Heather Gibson for sharpening my interest in tourism through insightful discussions; Dr. Steve Holland for his constant support; Dr. Ariel Rodriquez for introducing me to another facet of conducting a research; Dr. Budi Subanar, SJ for his thoughtful feedback; and Dr. Trevor Sofield for providing his valuable insights on this thesis. I thank all the faculties and staff at the Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Sport Management at the University of Florida as I am constantly picking up new knowledge from them. Not a day goes by that I do not learn something from this department. I am indebted to Bill Gallagher for his constant support and encouragement. I am also grateful to Debra Anderson for her help and valuable advice during my stay in Gainesville. Their presence in my life is the best thing that could have happened to me. 4 I thank these following people for their never-ending support, encouragement, and camaraderie: Satya Indrabayu, Elena Bychkovskikh, Derrick Feinman, Sun-Jin Kang, and Naomi Moswete. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for the time we shared. I am also grateful to all participants and residents of Sambi Village who have shared their wonderful life experiences with me. Without their insight, helpfulness, and participation, this thesis would not have occurred. Finally, as I close another chapter in my life, I thank all the people who have supported me in completing my academic endeavor at the University of Florida in any ways. Their efforts are very much appreciated. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................6 LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................8 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................................11 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................14 Statement of Problem .............................................................................................................23 Purpose of the Study...............................................................................................................24 Research Questions.................................................................................................................24 Delimitation and Limitation ...................................................................................................25 2 LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................................28 Culture ....................................................................................................................................28 Issue of Authenticity...............................................................................................................30 Front Stage and Back Stage....................................................................................................34 Sharing Authenticity...............................................................................................................35 The Tourists-Host Interface....................................................................................................37 Photo-Elicitation.....................................................................................................................39 Community-Based Tourism....................................................................................................43 3 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................50 Rationale.................................................................................................................................50 Study Site................................................................................................................................52 Data Collection .......................................................................................................................56 Participants ......................................................................................................................57 Photo Making Process .....................................................................................................58 Photo-Elicitation Interview .............................................................................................60 Data Analysis..........................................................................................................................63 Validity and Reliability...........................................................................................................66 6 4 RESULTS...............................................................................................................................70 Question 1: Meaning of Sambi’s Culture to the People of Sambi..........................................71 Agricultural Village.........................................................................................................71 Ritual and Tradition.........................................................................................................75 Question 2: Themes of What Residents What to Share with Visitors....................................77 Rural Way of Life............................................................................................................77 Environmental Features...................................................................................................83 Built Structures................................................................................................................86 People ..............................................................................................................................88 Art and Festivals..............................................................................................................90 Animals............................................................................................................................94 Question 3: Themes of What People of Sambi Do Not Want to Share with Visitors ............96 Question 4: The Way People of Sambi Negotiated Themes That They Want to Share and the Themes They Want to Hide....................................................................................99 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION..................................................................................123 Reflection on the Use of Reflexive Photography .................................................................123 Modeling Tourism in Sambi.................................................................................................130 Planning ................................................................................................................................138 Tourism Activities Development ..................................................................................139 Connecting Identified Landscape and Cultural Features...............................................140 Interpretation .................................................................................................................140 Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Resource Management ...........................................142 Developing Village Tourism Corridors.........................................................................143 Recommendation for Future Research .................................................................................144 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW GUIDE...........................................................................................................148