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Tourism & Play

Author(s)

Emily Martin

Tourism in an era of globalization is complicated by shadows of colonization and often becomes a futile search for an ‘authentic experience’ at the expense of cultural history. Symbolic play occurs when children begin to substitute one object for another: a block can be a car, a telephone, a bed, and so on. This type of imaginative play sets in place the foundation for representational thinking and symbolism, and enables children to socialize. Both occur in a space and time outside of routine, and both erect mediating layers between the subject and his or her attempts at a glimpse of truth. In the best case, these layers become a medium enabling a personal truth to rise to the surface, in the worst, a screen that universalizes personal experience.
  • Published:
  • Length: 42
  • Categories: US

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