In Rethinking the Anthropology of Love and Tourism, Sagar Singh draws on anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, religious studies, literature, and the study of mysticism, among other disciplines, to arrive at an understanding of love that is free from theoretical biases. Utilizing data from South Asia, India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe, Singh newly defines tourism, tourism anthropology, tourism studies, and ecotourism. This book is an indispensable guide to all involved and interested in tourism. For more information, check out A Conversation with Sagar Singh: Rethinking the Anthropology of Love and Tourism.

Tourism thrives on cultural differences. A lot of research uses culture as a source of marketing, including use of stories and myths. Little has been done to establish the crucial relationship of psychological outlooks regarding cultures and the myths associated with them, such as some places in India and Tibet, where the supposed existence of polyandry has given them, at once, an enviable and unenviable image. This book explores and rethinks the kinds of arrangements loosely termed polyandry, and shows how the view of women as 'conscious collaborators' in such 'arrangements' avoids seeing that male culture, by seeking balance of social and kinship structures that weigh heavy on women, and biological limitations, prevent equality of women. Polyandry is almost never a formally valid form of marriage. Clearing this myth is necessary to create a proper, respectable outlook of such cultures for promotion of tourism where residents are not thought disparagingly. Giving equal respect that such societies deserve, the book shows the way to ethically responsible tourism with values and love, and urges for a serious rethink in anthropology as well as tourism.

Within tourism studies, the cosmopolitan potentials of tourism have often been situated within a broader conversation about globalization, an approach that implies that cosmopolitanism is a predictable by-product of globalization and becoming more cosmopolitan should be the goal of travel. And yet a fundamental value of a cosmopolitan outlook—namely, to not only to be “at home in the world” but also to experience the world in an authentic sense—depends on the culturally embedded, parochial, and particular world views which it rejects. In Cosmopolitanism and Tourism: Rethinking Theory and Practice, contributors take this as a starting point. What does a “worldly” consciousness mean to people situated in different cultural landscapes and to what extent might these intersect with cosmopolitan values? How is cosmopolitanism marketed in tourism and tourist-related industries such as service learning and study abroad? And finally, what roles do social and economic class, educational background, gender, and other factors have in cosmopolitan claims? The contributors to this edited collection address these questions in a series of case studies that range from Guatemala, Bolivia, and Ireland to China, India, and Dubai. For more information, check out A Conversation with Robert Shepherd, author of Cosmopolitanism and Tourism: Rethinking Theory and Practice.

This introductory text explains how anthropology is integral to the study of tourism dynamics. Starting with an overview of the development of anthropology as a social science, the author uses a wealth of international examples, including the UK, USA and Australia, to bring practical relevance to complex theories. With its lucid writing style, summaries, sample questions and suggestions for further reading, this book will be an invaluable teaching resource in this area.

This edited collection examines the emergence, development, and future of tourism ethnography, emphasizing the interpretive-humanistic approach honed by anthropologist Edward Bruner. Original chapters by thirteen leading anthropologists critically engage theories and concepts including authenticity, the touristic borderzone, and contested sites.

In Encounters across Difference, Natalia Bloch examines tourism encounters in the informal sector in India and their potential to empower subaltern communities. Drawing from ethnographic evidence in Hampi and Dharamshala, Bloch explores the potential of tourism to promote political engagement, volunteering, sponsorship, local entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment. Contrary to the frequent criticism of tourism to the Global South as a colonial practice, Bloch argues that workers and small entrepreneurs in displaced communities see tourists as allies in their political struggles and, on a more individual level, as an opportunity to build better lives. For more information, check out A Conversation with Natalia Bloch, author of Encounters across Difference: Tourism and Overcoming Subalternity in India.

With contributions from anthropologists and cultural theorists, Study Abroad and the Quest for an Anti-Tourism Experienceexamines the culture and cultural implications of student travel. Drawing on rich case studies from the Arctic to Africa, Asia to the Americas, this impressive array of experts focuses on the challenges and ethical implications of student engagement, service and volunteering, immersion, research in the field, local community engagement, and crafting a new generation of active, engaged global citizens. This volume is a must-read for students, practitioners, and scholars. For more information, check out this presentation by Michael A. Di Giovine, coeditor of Study Abroad and the Quest for an Anti-Tourism Experience, or these podcast episodes: Sustainable Study Abroad with Dr. Michael Di Giovine by ODLI on Air Study Abroad and the Quest for an Anti-Tourism Experience by Meaningful Journeys