Papers by Tatiana Gorbuntsova
The importance of power structure analysis in tourism studies is appreciated by academic scholars... more The importance of power structure analysis in tourism studies is appreciated by academic scholars based on the fact that the tourism industry is a capitalist activity concerned with wealth production, accumulation and distribution. This is the power structure that serves to reproduce and condition different modes of tourism industry development and, as a consequence, diverse outcomes for the local economy in general and its players specifically. However, under the influence of Karl Marx, theorists using critical approaches to research power have tended to focus on issues around the equality of power relationships between actors or stakeholders. In doing so, it may be argued that what is missing are the diverse geographies of power and, in particular, the inherently spatial nature of power, including the involvement of social relations in both space and power (Lefebvre, 1976; 1991). In order to address this, the present study focuses on the exploration of the spatiality of power that surrounds tourism industry development. A conceptual framework, based on the application of Lefebvre's (1991) concepts supplemented by Gaventa's (2004) 'power cube', placed in the broader context of Marx' political economy and 'Historical Materialism', has been developed. The case study locality is in a country with a non-colonial past, being in transition from socialism to capitalism, with the tourism industry at an early stage of its development. Of core interest to the study is the spatiality of power which frames local tourism industry development, the relationships between the indigenous reindeer herders, "the Nenets", local non-indigenous tour operators, indigenous travel agencies and the government in Yamal in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO) of the Russian Federation. Based on the aim to access the respondents' subjective comprehension and evaluation of spatiality of power, the research is positioned in neo-empiricism and uses qualitative methods of data collection and analysis.
Rural entrepreneurial space: a study of local tour operators and 'the Nenets' indigenous reindeer herders
The tourism industry is a capitalist activity concerned with the production, accumulation and dis... more The tourism industry is a capitalist activity concerned with the production, accumulation and distribution of wealth. Power is an important arena for research in this respect as diverse outcomes for the local economy in general, and its players specifically, provide important aspects to study when considering the lives of rural entrepreneurs. However, it may be argued that whilst Marxist theorists using critical approaches on power have tended to focus on issues around the equality of power relations between actors or stakeholders, the inherently spatial nature of power has received less emphasis. This paper focuses on an exploration of the spatiality of power which surrounds entrepreneurship and the tourism industry development. The conceptual framework, based on the application of Lefebvre’s (1991) concepts supplemented by Gaventa’s (2004) power cube, is placed within the broader context of Marx’s Political Economy and Historical Materialism. The main value of Lefebvre’s (1991) wo...
The importance of power structure analysis in tourism studies is appreciated by academic scholars... more The importance of power structure analysis in tourism studies is appreciated by academic scholars based on the fact that the tourism industry is a capitalist activity concerned with wealth production, accumulation and distribution. This is the power structure that serves to reproduce and condition different modes of tourism industry development and, as a consequence, diverse outcomes for the local economy in general and its players specifically. However, under the influence of Karl Marx, theorists using critical approaches to research power have tended to focus on issues around the equality of power relationships between actors or stakeholders. In doing so, it may be argued that what is missing are the diverse geographies of power and, in particular, the inherently spatial nature of power, including the involvement of social relations in both space and power (Lefebvre, 1976; 1991). In order to address this, the present study focuses on the exploration of the spatiality of power that...
The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2018
The tourism industry is a capitalist activity concerned with the production, accumulation and dis... more The tourism industry is a capitalist activity concerned with the production, accumulation and distribution of wealth. Power is an important arena for research in this respect as diverse outcomes for the local economy in general, and its players specifically, provide important aspects to study when considering the lives of rural entrepreneurs. However, it may be argued that while Marxist theorists using critical approaches on power have tended to focus on issues around the equality of power relations between actors or stakeholders, the inherently spatial nature of power has received less emphasis. This article focuses on an exploration of the spatiality of power which surrounds entrepreneurship and tourism industry development.
Annals of Tourism Research, 2019
This paper offers a geographical, anthropological and historical analysis of current tourism deve... more This paper offers a geographical, anthropological and historical analysis of current tourism development in the Yamal Peninsula, Northern Siberia, Russia. Through qualitative research it highlights the institutional, regulatory and socio-cultural trends of the indigenous society of this marginal region. Currently the traditional economic activity of reindeer herding, which offers autonomy to its nomadic communities, is threatened by local oil and gas industry development. Whilst the introduction of tourism is being pursued by authorities as beneficial to indigenous populations, this research explores power imbalances expressed through space relating to the works of Harvey (1989), Lefebvre (1991) and Gavanta (2006). Findings illustrate conflict characterised by external forces steering local communities toward the tourism industry as an economic aspect of regional strategy.
Uploads
Papers by Tatiana Gorbuntsova