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This book gives voice to the representatives of various social
science disciplines who use the expression 'actor in politics'
according to the requirements of their respective approaches. They
nevertheless arrive at an interesting and, to a great extent,
impressive unity in diversity. What the book shows is the encounter
of African actors and their agency with external actors and
factors. Another connection uniting the contributions is the fact
that they address the impact political actors outside the official
or formal domain can and do exert on the respective societies.
Informal politics and informal political actors and their
entanglement with the official and formal domain of politics are
among peculiarities of current African politics. But, informality
in politics and entanglement of formal and informal political
actors might also hint at the future of politics and political
order in general. (Series: African Studies / Afrikanische Studien -
Vol. 51)
Africa is a 'theme park' for Western tourists to experience
untouched wilderness, untamed nature, and truly 'authentic'
cultures, where the hosts, too, are part of a discourse about the
'other' and ourselves, about wildness, danger and roots. Tourism is
important for Africa: international tourist arrivals to Africa
continue to grow, income from tourism is crucial to national
economies, and tourism investments are considered among the most
profitable. This edited volumedeals with the interaction of local
communities with tourists coming into their areas and villages.
Based upon a common theoretical approach, fourteen cases of African
tourism are discussed which involve direct contact between 'hosts'
and 'guests'. The viewpoint throughout is from the side of the
locals, establishing how the processes of interaction shape each
small scale destination. Crucial in Africa is the fact that the
large majority of tourism is game oriented and the interaction
between locals and visitors is very much 'tainted' by this fact.
Central is the notion of the tourist bubble - the infrastructure
that is generated locally (and internationally) for hosting
tourists, as it is this institutional interface that tends to
impact on the local society and culture, not the tourists
themselves directly. The examples come from all over Africa, from
the Sahara to the Eastern Cape, and from Kenyato Ghana. All
contributions are based upon original fieldwork. Walter van Beek is
professor of anthropology at Tilburg University and Senior
Researcher at the African Studies Centre, Leiden; Annette Schmidt
is curatorof the African department at the National Museum of
Ethnology in Leiden, and is an archaeologist with a long experience
in cultural management projects.
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