An anthropological look at the social institution of tourism

Abstract

When we think about tourism as a social phenomenon that influences many levels of a com- munity’s life, and it being an institution legitimized by society, we can define it as a social institution, one that brings new and important options for building the modern world, for besides being a source of income for many sectors and an acceptable lifestyle for others, it provides elements such as distraction, leisure and fun, that have started to be directly related to the social, economical and psychological devel- opment of people, communities and even nations. Whit this paper, I want to highlight the importance of the anthropologic study of tourism and its influence, as a social institution, on the collective memory of the inhabitants of a community, from a “popular narratives” study viewpoint. Likewise, it views tourism as a social phenomenon where the movements, travels and discretional income (i.e. unconstrained in- come that is not used to cover basic necessities), are considered as another element of the social, eco- nomical and psychological life of the characters involved in order to found its study on an interdiscipli- nary perspective. Finally, the study of a community’s collective memory permits a more deep knowledge of its thoughts and feelings about the different aspects influencing the population’s lives. In this manner, we can see what and how is affecting the people, trough their own narrations..