Anthropology of Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe: Bridging Worlds(The Anthropology of Tourism: Heritage, Mobility, and Society)

In Anthropology of Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe: Bridging Worlds, Sabina Owsianowska and Magdalena Banaszkiewicz examine the limitations of the anthropological study of tourism, which stem from both the domination of researchers representing the Anglophone circle as well as the current state of tourism studies in Central and Eastern Europe. This edited collection contributes to the wider discussion of the geopolitics of knowledge through its focus on the anthropological background of tourism studies and its inclusion of contributors from Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Poland.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Michal Buchowski Part I: Bridging Academic Worlds: An Insider-Outsider’s Perspective Introduction: Anthropological Studies on Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe by Magdalena Banaszkiewicz and Sabina Owsianowska Chapter 1: Inside and Outside the Anglophone Snake – Alterities and Opportunities by Nelson Graburn PART 2: Anthropology and Tourism: Relationships in Theory and Practice Chapter 2: The Sarajevo Library, the Mostar Bridge, and Anthropology of Travel, Tourism and Pilgrimage by Tom Selwyn Chapter 3: Engaging with the Hosts and Guests: Some Methodological Reflections on the Anthropology of Tourism by Maarja Kaaristo Chapter 4: A Map or a Calendar? Travelers’ Imaginary and a Travel Framework (The Case of Poland Following the Economic and Political Transformation) by Anna Wieczorkiewicz Chapter 5: At a Crossroads of Cognition. Travels of Philosophy and Philosophy of Travels by Maria Zowislo Chapter 6: Traveling and Politics. A Reflection on the Russian Tourism in the Past and Today by Magdalena Banaszkiewicz Chapter 7: Mediating Central and Eastern Europe in Tourism Discourse by Sabina Owsianowska Part III: Anthropological Inspirations in Tourism Studies: From the Workshop of Central and Eastern European Researchers Chapter 8: Here Come the Barbarians. Perceptions of Alcotourism in Golden Sands, Bulgaria by Carla Bethmann Chapter 9: Making Tourists Engaged by Vulnerable Communities in India by Natalia Bloch Chapter 10: “Tasting East?” Food in Polish Travel Accounts from Russia: Encounters, Sensual Experience and Cultural Discourses by Agata Bachórz Chapter 11: “Let’s Make Laces in the Garden.” Creative Tourism in Rural Poland by Anna Sznajder and Katarzyna Kosmala Chapter 12: Towards Interpretative City Guiding. New Approaches and Services on the Example of Selected European Cities by Armin Mikos von Rohrscheidt Chapter 13: Urban Exploration as an “Interior Tourism.” Contemporary Ruins behind the “Iron Curtain” by Malgorzata Nieszczerzewska Chapter 14: Recalling the Ruins of the Socialist Modernity. Touring Lost Places in Yugoslavia between Private Search of Identity and Cultural Heritage Tourism by Michael Zinganel Chapter 15: The “Kodak Girl” on a Trip. Tourist Women from Polish Galicia in Family Photographs of 1910s–1930s by Malgorzata Radkiewicz Afterword: Bridging Worlds: Opportunities and Challenges by Sabina Owsianowska and Magdalena Banaszkiewicz

About the Author :
Sabina Owsianowska is assistant professor in the Department of the Theory of Leisure and Tourism at the University of Physical Education in Krakow and lecturer at Jagiellonian University. Magdalena Banaszkiewicz is assistant professor in the Institute of Intercultural Studies at Jagiellonian University and lecturer at Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University.

Review :
This unique and fascinating collection is a valuable contribution to the Anthropology of Tourism and to cultural anthropological studies more generally with scholarship that developed at a time when the possibilities of cross-border exchanges between countries behind the so-called Iron Curtain and those in the West, either for tourists or academics, were limited. Bringing together scholars from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with those from Western Europe and the United States the book brings fresh insights into issues relating to, among others, heritage, urban exploration, gender, globalization, handicrafts and food and alcohol related tourism. Drawing on examples from both within and outside the CEE the volume utilizes tourism as a tool to understand cultural and economic processes that not only enrich debates in the study of tourism but also gives voice to scholars from CEE to make contribution to developments in the discipline of anthropology. Using the bridge as a metaphor the book is not only grounded on developing links between CEE and the Anglophone world of scholarship but ends with a request to build upon and further the foundations the volume has laid out for us. At a time when identity politics is on the rise and we seem to be seeing the pulling across of new ‘Iron Curtains’ the invitation to walk across the bridge appears ever more urgent and makes this book essential reading for us all. Anthropology of Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe is a pioneering collection, edited by two renowned Polish authorities, on the anthropology of tourism that demonstrates the dynamic nature of travel and tourism and emphasizes the freshness of this research area. This is the first study of its kind to give voice to a wide range of research from scholars from Central and Eastern Europe and is an essential source for researchers, teachers, and students of tourism, anthropology, human geography, and European studies. This volume is invaluable for scholars interested in the (still) under-represented region of Eastern and Central Europe. It bridges the divide between East and West both in its case studies, but also academically by firmly positioning the region into broader scholarly output. More importantly, it presents anthropological and ethno-historiographic findings of over a dozen scholars from the region. From hedonistic experiences of food and drink in Eastern and Central Europe, to debates on heritage tourism, this volume is an addition to the field.