Response to Case Study: Tourism, Fashion, and "The Other"

One of the most interesting points to consider in this case study is the way foreign places were depicted in early photography and exploration, and how they are depicted now through modern photography and tourism, and realizing that not much has changed. Nineteenth century photography shaped the idea of foreign places as “exotic”, having an “otherness” based on the bias of colonized people being lesser than Europeans. Cultural differences between the photographer’s european/white culture, and the foreign/non-white culture of the colonized peoples were purposely exploited, and continue to be exploited today, as is evident through tourism and tourist photography. Visiting a foreign place for the first time is a new and exciting experience, but is not always treated as such. As Wells points out, oftentimes people feel an obligation to visit the places or see the sights that have been perpetuated as the quintessential parts of that culture (perhaps more fondly know as tourist traps). This is problematic because it furthers a stereotypical experience of that culture, and discourages actual unbiased exploration. In this way, tourism becomes a market based off of the exploitation of a culture and people, just as early nineteenth century exploration photography was.