Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Harris, Michael

Abstract

This thesis explores the gentrification of a rural village along the Ecuadorian coast by exploring its connection with the tourism industry. Through the use of several ethnographic methods, the data collected demonstrates gentrification outside of the context of urban areas by focusing on a rural area of the Global South. The rural gentrification of this village results in drastic increases in land value and the subordination of local people within the labor hierarchy, relegating them to positions of service. As the dominant economy, tourism leaves locals with few avenues for economic mobility. In doing so, tourism forces its own reproduction as locals engage in the industry through the creation of their own touristic businesses. Finally, this thesis exhibits how local communities control the type of tourism and tourists they host. Community-tourism discourse provides us with the tools necessary to illustrate local hosts as dynamic actors who sustain the tourism industry.

Extent

153 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013728

Format

pdf

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