|
|
|
2010 Colloquium Series Synopsis: Reunion and Mayotte islands are the only territories of the whole South-West Indian Ocean that are still French. This talk focuses on how several players, including policy makers, craftsmen and tourists, involved in cultural tourism attempt to manage the images linked to the cultural heritage and tradition of these two islands. As the comparison of the official promotion efforts and impressions of tourists reveals, the outcomes are absolutely not the same in the two cases studied. After presenting Reunion as a successful example of emphasizing the local tradition and identity, the talk will demonstrate the reason why Mayotte could be seen as a “conter-example” regarding the issue of promoting traditional culture in the tourism prospect. Speaker Bio: Currently studying a Ph.D in Development Studies at the EHESS (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris), Madina Regnault focuses on tourism, cultural policies, history of development, South-Western Indian Ocean and French public policies. She is the author of several book chapters and articles (in French) that analyze the political and identity issues of cultural tourism promotion in Reunion and/or Mayotte. A piece of her work would be available in English in the Chapter entitled “Creating (or Not) Cultural Wealth : Cases Studies in Reunion Island and Mayotte” in the book “The Cultural Wealth of Nation” (2010) that will be published by Stanford University Press and directed by Nina Bandelj (University of California-Irvine) and Frederick Wherry (University of Michigan- Ann Arbor). Madina Regnault is also a consultant (especially working for UNESCO Headquarters in Paris) specialized in cultural policies and policies for development. |
