The Director of Project Pericles at 黑料不打烊 published the essay in the journal Tourism in Paradise.
Director of Project Pericles and Professor of Psychology Mathew Gendle authored an essay appearing in the most recent issue of the journal “Tourism in Paradise.”
Published by the Department of Tourism Management, Faculty of Management Studies at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Tourism in Paradise provides a forum for academics, travel and hospitality industry professionals, government officials and university students to engage in constructive dialogue about economic development and ethical practice related to tourism in South Asia.
In this essay, entitled, 鈥淒oing a disservice to Sri Lanka: John Gimlette鈥檚 Elephant Complex,鈥 Gendle provides an ethically centered criticism of Gimlette鈥檚 work. Gendle asserts that “Elephant Complex” is little more than a 鈥渃hronicle of a foreigner who lacks cultural humility, self-awareness, and genuine respect for the places and people he encounters.鈥 Gendle writes that like many travelogues of South Asia written by materially affluent white Westerners, Gimlette鈥檚 book traffics in gross overgeneralizations, problematic objectification, and quiet condescension of the people and communities he interacts with on his journey throughout Sri Lanka.
Full-text of this essay is