From Sustainability to the Anthropocene: Reflections on a Pedagogy of Tourism Research for Planetary Attachment

Abstract

Though tourism research has become more value-laden in its scholarship and pedagogy, there is still a risk that tourism higher education curricula (re)produce uncritical views of society and sustainability. I argue that research methodology courses and assignments based on data collection can legitimize the use of sustainable tourism solutions based in generalizations and abstractions, rather than encourage the dialogue and reflectivity needed for major change in times of crisis. They also risk promoting a self-serving agenda where researchers (re)produce their success in the knowledge economy. In light of the limitations of the sustainability concept in time of planetary crisis, I look into the possibilities of a tourism research pedagogy in the Anthropocene by uncovering arguments for plurality and deliberation in knowledge production. Social scientists need to address questions of ethics in times of crisis. Conjointly, the Anthropocene highlights our planetary attachment, where human responsibility and social action are imminent.