Hell is other people? A Sartrean analysis of the Local Gaze.

Abstract

Tourism has often been defined as a linear “way of seeing”, where tourists gaze upon the world in order to consume it as a tourism product. It is now largely understood that “the Gaze” is more complex and overarching, comprising of diverse “gazers” and “gazees”. This paper adopts a Sartrean perspective through building on the concept of “being-for-others”, where human consciousness is brought to light through being gazed upon by an outstander. Accordingly, this research aims at understanding the lived experience of tourists of being exposed to the Local Gaze as a “being-for-others”. An emic perspective is adopted through a methodology and method underpinned in the philosophical underpinnings of phenomenology. Eight participants were recruited through experience-based, purposive sampling and interviewed in-depth. Findings show that the look of the Other increases tourists’ self-awareness and reflection, confronting them with the existential question of being in the world. This results in a struggle of meaning making through the Sartrean concepts of sadism, masochism and indifference, which makes authentic relationship between the tourist and the toured ephemeral at best.