Case Study in Lanzarote
This is the summary of a master thesis by Fernando Barrios Martin (August 2008)
Master in Tourism Destination Management Graduate 2008

Cultural identity has often been a very important subject in the last decades. There are many authors, as for instance Erik Cohen and Jeremy Boissevain, who refer to these identities and its importance in the actual society. These identities are denominated by Stuart Hall as collective social identities.

These authors analyze the social factors that cause tensions amongst the collective social identities of a society. These collective social identities have to deal with external and internal factors which are affecting them in one way or another.

In addition, tourism plays an important role in shaping these collective social identities. Due to tourism new interests and self-consciousness among locals arise. Therefore, there is an internal struggle within a destination, in which collective social identities differentiate themselves regarding different interests.

This internal struggle can lead to the formation of two cultures amongst locals. These two cultures are: the culture organized by public and private organisations for the promotion and development of tourism industry, and the popular quotidian culture of the locals.

These two cultures are affected by foreign actors who are influencing the situation, and who want to promote and develop tourism in the destination. These foreign actors can increase the power of the actors involved in tourism development. At this moment, power can influence and shape the social collective identities.

This study identifies the main tensions of social collective identities, and analyzes in which places these tensions are occurring. This identification of collective social identities may be the beginning of preserving governmental and private organizations, on how to protect these social collective identities, in order to minimize social problems that can be triggered from these tensions.

The objective of this study is : to analyze collective social identities in Lanzarote, identifying the main tensions occurring in public places, to advise governmental and private organizations involved in Tourism Development and Promotion, in order to minimize these tensions.

The main methodological approach used in this study is the ethnography approach. This approach is based on participant observation, and analysis of emic and etic perspectives. The working method is based on conversation with different level of formality as Open debates, group dynamics and informal interviews, direct first-hand observations, In-depth interviewing, and problem-oriented research.

This research has been conducted and guided, by the crucial expertise provided by professionals in the field of tourism as tourism academics from Lanzarote Tourism University and from the University of social sciences of Tenerife, as well as the sociologist of Lanzarote data centre. These academics have given a professional expertise when identifying the main causing tensions in Lanzarote.

The main causing tensions acknowledged by primary stakeholders have been triangulated amongst other stakeholders, secondary sources, and site observation, in order to confront the perspective with the reality. This triangulation gives a high internal validity and improves the transferability of this study.

This study is transferable to other studies which can be influenced by the same phenomena in a particular area as an island with similar characteristics. This also implies other cities within Lanzarote.

The core focus of the field research in Lanzarote has been analysing and confronting the different perspectives among collective social identities, when organising and developing tourism promotion and development.

The tensions between the collective social identities have been identified mainly among the culture of the locals in shared public places. These tensions have been arisen as a consequence of a non proper planning and zoning, in the distribution of neighbourhoods and facilities. There is a mixed coexistence between ghettos, and the social tensions that can trigger from these phenomena.

It is suggested an integration framework with a bottom-up approach, in which the tensions among locals should be considered as well as their involvement in tourism planning and development.

To conclude, it is an urgent need in the anthropological study of Tourism of an integration framework and dialogue among collective social identities. This frame of tourism development should involved locals in the decision making, in order to be able to minimize the tensions amongst locals in public places, which can lead to social instability.

Update: This dissertation has been published by LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing and can be purchased at More Books.