Movilidades transnacionales y la producción académica sobre el turismo de favelas

El turismo de favelas es la expresión local y ejemplar del slum tourism, visita a áreas populares con un guía y pago de un valor específico acordado entre turistas y agentes promotores. Este artículo es un meta-análisis, en el que se discuten los principios orientadores de la producción académica sobre el turismo de favelas. Seleccionamos artículos publicados en revistas académicas, libros (monográficos o compilaciones), y capítulos de libros, escritos en portugués, español e inglés, tesis de maestría y de doctorado realizadas en los programas de posgrado brasileños, en un total de 146 trabajos. Demonstramos que a partir del turismo de favelas se puede abordar un conjunto amplio de temas que, en última instancia, problematiza la tensa relación entre este tipo de asentamientos y el resto de la ciudad.

Slumming on Social Media? E-Mediated Tourist Gaze and Social Representations of Indian, South African, and Brazilian Slum Tourism Destinations

Slum tourism is a hotly debated genre of travel. While it may foster intercultural encounters with marginalised “others”, it is also accused of reinforcing stereotypes and exploitation. Both aspects are amplified by the communication through social media of the slum tourism experience, that contribute to challenge or confirm stigmatizing representations of slums and their inhabitants. Based on the theoretical constructs of the tourist gaze and of social representations, this article addresses this particular type of digital contact. A lexicometric approach was used to analyse an extensive corpus of reviews on TripAdvisor (N = 8126). The findings not only confirm common themes already identified by the literature: the eye-opening component of touring poverty and the gatekeeping function of guides; but also show the emergence of context-dependent specificities, such as a hedonistic feature in the Cape Town region; or the integration of favelas within the representations of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, the results show the tension between the “othering” and the “sameing” mechanisms, making this tourism practice a space in which shallow and deep tourist gazes interact and co-exist, and are crucially mediated by the gatekeeper of the tours: the guide.

Recasting urban imaginaries: politicized temporalities and the touristification of a notorious Mexico City barrio

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to point to the significance of temporally charged imaginaries of neglected places and their residents in the context of slum tourism research. It examines the way in which tour guides draw on specific temporalities to recast the poverty and stigma of the Mexico City barrio of Tepito and thus design narratives to alter long-held imaginaries of this neighbourhood. Design/methodology/approach Two tours are analysed through an anthropological lens using ethnographic methods. Authors took part in the tours, registering the guides’ discourse and interventions, as well as the places and situations observed. The insights of this paper stem from the empirical evidence and reveal how diverse imaginaries are enacted through tour guiding. Findings Without necessarily following a single, coherent narrative, tour guides link different moments in time to simultaneously generate and contest slum tour imaginaries. The guides in this case study not only challenge existing stereotypes, but also critically engage political neglect while showcasing Tepito’s potentiality. Even so, the analysed tours seek to recast the barrio as integral to Mexico City’s history and future. Originality/value Until now, the importance of temporalities in the generation of imaginaries in slum tourism research has gained only little attention. The case study presented here show how alternative forms of tourism are offering unconventional readings of urban neighbourhoods. These processes, the authors argue, help not only re-imagine disadvantaged districts, such as Tepito, but also to re-think the city as a whole in terms of its past, present and future.

Slum an Urban Tourism Resource in Zambia. A case study of Kalingalinga Informal Settlement, Lusaka

Slum settlements are often reviewed as urban spaces of social complexity where people are often ensnared in a poverty trap. Conversely, slum spaces are exploited as a resource by multiple stakeholders and poverty is an attraction. Pro-poor slum tourism is being utilised in slum settlements outside Zambia as a tool for capacity building, utilising slum dwellers’ resilience, ingenuity, uniqueness and entrepreneurial spirit. This explorative study adopts a qualitative approach in investigating Kalingalinga settlement in Lusaka, Zambia and begins by observing the space through participating in a slum tour. This is followed by interviews with multiple stakeholders, through which participants understanding and perception of the concept of slum tourism are reviewed. Investigation revealed that Kalingalinga is a space of poverty and basic infrastructure, threatened by demand for its location. The informal space is constantly changing and redefining its position within society, fighting for recognition and acceptance. Analysis revealed that this interaction leads to exploitation of slum resources that mainly benefit external stakeholders. A new approach is proposed; to redefine interactions and relationships, to address the root of poverty, and the slum’s informal status. This research, through a conceptual framework for slum tourism, identifies means through which poverty could be exploited by Kalingalinga slum dwellers as a resource for inclusion and, through a pro-poor approach, generate net benefit that satisfies all stakeholders. A key finding suggests that slum spaces could be navigated through a relative slum tourism approach (RST) rather than absolute slum tourism commonly adopted by slum tourists. RST allows the tourist to witness wider activities slum dwellers are involved in, extending the narrative beyond the confines of the settlement. To achieve sustainability, the framework suggests that the people, rather than the location, should be placed at the centre of pro-poor slum tourism and community development.

Morality in aversion?: Meditations on slum tourism and the politics of sight

Despite fairly widespread popularity, slum tourism is enmeshed in moralizing debate. Supporters acknowledge that slum tourism may sometimes be problematic, but also may potentially be an important pedagogical experience which reveals the horrors of capitalism to westerners. Plus, supporters argue, there is no morality in aversion ‐ we should never turn away from slums and poverty. However, social theory on the politics of sight and opacity suggests that the promise of transparency ‐ showing the real poverty ‐ may lead to a violence of seeing and knowing rooted in western development epistemologies. I argue that morality can be found in aversion and turning away from slum tourism in many instances. I suggest that wealthy, western and usually white bodies of slum tourists represent the violence of the status quo which seeks to make legible a periphery and to partially re-integrate into capital those who have been expelled from it. This paper contributes to a growing literature which deploys social theory to understand and critique slum tourism and its relationship with capitalist society.