Travels in 'becoming-aboriginal': research reciprocating between anecdotes and theory - Article Example

To this end, Galliford employs a mix of writing that involves switching between anecdotes and theory throughout the article. In doing so, Galliford aims to demystify the social and political paradigms that are ubiquitously present in the motivational desire of travellers, tour operators and tourists. Furthermore, he seeks to establish how this motivational desire for cultural tourism impacts on the lives of the tourists, travellers and tour operators. Galliford driving motive for writing the article was his personal reflections pertaining to reflexivity.

His explanation on reflexivity reveals an awareness of an individual’s presence or a person’s ‘positioning’ in society. Furthermore, Galliford sought to establish the significant role played by reflexivity in appreciating the value of cultural tourism within the Aboriginal society. Consequently, Galliford reflects on how reflexivity could be employed as a strategy in understanding the relationship between data, experience and theory. Galliford advances key information in his endeavour to support his thesis pertaining to cultural tourism and reflexivity.

Foremost, it is essential to note that Galliford sought to indulge his own personal experiences with cultural tourism in order to provide a factual analysis of reflexivity. To this end, he believes that his experience would provide an in depth analysis of the power relations, connections and desire motives that are intrinsically associated with historical and contemporary socio-political societies (Galliford 403). Galliford acknowledges that desire plays a fundamental role in understanding the need for cultural tourism.

He argues that desire is fuelled by sensory or sensual motivations of tourists while engaging in tourism. These desire motivate is distinctly fuelled by the ‘I want’ motivation for leisure and tourism. This is contrasts to forced motivational attributes to engage in tourism. The inclusion of sensory or sensual motivations in cultural tourism, particularly in reference to aboriginal culture, enables tourists to openly re-evaluate their past thoughts, opinions and attitude towards aboriginality.

Galliford further explores the role played by cultural tourism in subverting the power relations. In doing so, Galliford states that cultural tourism within the Aboriginal community can be used to break down the divisive and stereotype relations between tourists and native locals. To this end, he states that Aboriginal cultural tourism will cease being viewed as a ‘passive tourist product to be consumed’ (Galliford 406). Furthermore, Gallliford examines the need for intimacy in the experiences of the tourist while exploring the cultural tourism of the Aboriginal community.

It is his belief that intimate encounters by the tourists through a complete indulgence in the social activities of the cultural society are essential. The major inference by the author here is that, it aids to break perceptions and desire for primitiveness in the tour experience. As a testament to this fact, Galliford recollects his interactions during his childhood with his Aboriginal friends as a basis of validating the need for intimacy in intercultural relations. Furthermore, Galliford believes that intimate interactions are useful in creating an innate understanding in building and maintaining of relationships.

Another important fact raised by Galliford pertains to spirituality. To this end, he be