MES Major Papers

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Deconstructing Sustainable Tourism In Bermuda Through Postcolonial Theory
(2020) Harvey, Marlin; Gilbert, Liette
This research paper is about sustainable tourism, visual media, and colonialism in post-colonial Bermuda. Most research and literature on these issues has been particularly concerned with the experience of former colonies, and sovereign nationalism in a post-colonial context. Limited studies have concentrated on developments regarding the post-colonial realities of non-sovereign societies through tourism discourse. This paper examines encoded meaning in tourism, that which visually reproduces the ‘orient’ of colonial ideologies in Bermuda (Said 1978). The paper examines the way Bermuda is represented in travel websites and advertised media. Using visual methodologies, this research concludes that many characteristics of promotional media contain strategic messages of colonialism and participates in the degradation of cultural identity. The paper suggests how tourism discourse operates within a reimagined space for colonial desires but also that many imperial narratives continue to shape the way Bermuda’s material heritage and identity are under-represented.