Tourism Research Paradigms ─ Critical and Emergent Knowledges

The theme of this book focuses on the being of tourism and knowledge construction in tourism. It discusses both ontological and epistemological issues in tourism studies. Adopting a broad understanding of the paradigmatic field of tourism as the relationship between established and emergent schools of thought, this book explores the dynamics between tourism knowledge and the phenomenal world of tourism. In addition to examining what constitutes tourism knowledge and how tourism knowledge is acquired, various theoretical and methodological paradigms will also be addressed. Issues that this books aim to examine include: Developments in the scientific body of knowledge; disciplinarity, trans-disciplinarity and post-disciplinarity; methodological innovation and development; new emerging paradigms and schools of thought; systemic and holistic understandings of tourism; contradictions and fragmentation in tourism research; the constitution of touristhood; and defining and conceptualizing tourism and the tourist. This volume invites to a critical evaluation and discussion of the anchorage of tourism in the sciences and of tourism as science.

Ana Maria Munar, Copenhagen Business School, DenmarkTazim Jamal, Texas A&M University, USA