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| Dr. Janni Pedersen (Right Blue) |
Abstract:
Humans
mediate their past and present through the presentation of cultural heritage
and identity to self and others: this may be observed in the intersection of
tourism, cultural heritage, and political economy. In Panama, tourism has
become a larger part of the country’s economy over the last decades and this
growth is forecast to continue (WTCC, 2017). A collaborative ethnographic
study in the towns of Parita and Santo Domingo, provinces of Herrera and Los
Santos, during the 2016 Corpus Christi celebration and 2017 Patron Saint
celebration, sought to understand the intersection of cultural heritage with
the local economy and perception of tourism.
Studying
the host community in two early or “under-developed” heritage tourist spot in
the
neoliberal sense (Scher, 2011) provides the opportunity for a comparative
analysis of the visions of vendors, visitors, officials and performers in the
communities for the sharing of cultural heritage and how this forms a
foundation for thoughts on further tourism development. The Panamanian
government identified tourism as a key-area in its 2015-2019 strategic plan
(Strategic Plan of Government, 2015-2019); however, further investment may
carry with it concerns for the protection of intangible cultural heritage and
community autonomy as culture becomes commodified (Kirtsoglou and
Theodossopoulos, 2004). The results show a desire for more tourists, but the
reasons between the two cities diverge, from the assumed economic benefits to a
desire for sharing cultural heritage. This divergence is closely related to how
the cultural heritage is mediated and presented through the festivals and
associated celebrations.
Celebrating Heritage: Tourism and Festival in
Panama. Annual Meeting of Southwestern Anthropological Association, Fresno,
California, May 2018.
Author Bio:
Dr. Janni Pedersen, the chair of Ashford University’s
Cultural Anthropology program, has been with Ashford University since 2012. She
earned her doctoral degree from Iowa State University, where she taught courses
in both biological and cultural anthropology, as well as philosophy. While in
Iowa, she conducted research with language trained bonobos (a form of chimpanzee)
at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa. Her research interests now encompasses
behavioral studies of the apes residing at San Diego Zoo and ethnographic
studies of festivals and tourism in Panama. She blogs about anthropology and
her research at https://www.anthroaction.com/ .
Dr. Pedersen is a native of Denmark. Before moving to the
U.S. to work on her doctoral degree, she worked at an internet marketing agency
in Brussels, Belgium. She serves on the board of the Southwestern
Anthropological Association and as the Ashford Research Fellow for the College
of Liberal Arts.
