Silenced voices and three forms of knowledge in the international classroom of tourism studies


Vincent Platenkamp, NHTV University for professional education in tourism studies, Breda, Netherlands

Abstract

In a postcolonial order one of the challenges is to evocate the silenced voices in a tourism discourse, dominated by Western logo centrism. E. Said in his orientalism shows us a possible direction in literary criticism. For tourism debates in an international context this direction still needs some fundamental reflection.

The ‘International Classroom of tourism studies’ (Lengkeek and Platenkamp) has already been proposed at the conference of Lesbos. In this international classroom a unique opportunity is given to elaborate this reflection on post colonialism in tourism studies. In my contribution to the conference I wish to dwell upon three different forms of knowledge (life world knowledge, applied knowledge and academic knowledge) that interfere in the international classroom and that can be used to organise an evocation of these silenced voices in the academic and applied discussions of tourism.

This evocation of silenced voices in the international classroom will be organised in various steps. First an hermeneutical perspective will be introduced in which changing perspectives will be related to the various cultural backgrounds of students who experience a culture shock in the international classroom.
The next and most difficult, but also most challenging part is relating the results of this evocation to the applied and academic forms of tourism discussions.