"Exotic colonialism" in the age of the Asian traveler

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Tourism Analysis

Publication Date

5-1-2019

Abstract

© 2019 Cognizant, LLC. This article is an examination of the impact of intra-Asian travel on monuments tied to colonialism in Asia. The study highlights emergent changes surrounding perceptions of tourism and what is seen as "exotic" as well as "authentic" in Asia vis-à-vis the burgeoning feeling of postcolonial guilt in the contemporary West. Citing the example of architectural monuments tied to colonial era Christian missionaries in Malaysia and Singapore, the research suggests that the 21st century is witness to a developing "postcolonial paradox" where the cultural norms and values of the prewar West are becoming more readily acceptable in parts of developing Asia than in the West itself. As "traditional values" become increasingly superseded by "progressive values" in the Western world, the premise is that the rise of the intra-Asian traveler will nevertheless allow for a belated appreciation of monuments celebrating the principles, if not the politics, of the Imperial age in Asia.

ISSN

1083-5423

Publisher

Cognizant, LLC

Volume

24

Issue

2

First Page

243

Last Page

248

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Asian traveler, Authenticity, Christian monuments, Exotic colonialism, Heritage, Historiography

Scopus ID

85067054906

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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