Behind the Smile

by Gmelch, George

• ISBN13: 9780253001238
• ISBN10: 0253001234
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-21
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

Behind the Smile is an inside look at the world of Caribbean tourism as seen through the lives of the men and women in the tourist industry in Barbados. The workers represent every level of tourism, from maid to hotel manager, beach gigolo to taxi driver, red cap to diving instructor. These highly personal accounts offer insight into complex questions surrounding tourism: how race shapes interactions between tourists and workers, how tourists may become agents of cultural change, the meaning of sexual encounters between locals and tourists, and the real economic and ecological costs of development through tourism. This new edition updates the text and includes several new narratives and a new chapter about American students' experiences during summer field school and home stays in Barbados.

Author Biography

George Gmelch is Professor of Anthropology at the University of San Francisco and Union College. He has studied Irish Travellers, commercial fishermen, Alaska natives, Caribbean villagers and tourism workers, and American professional baseball players. He is the author of eleven books, including (with Sharon Bohn Gmelch) Tasting the Good Life: Wine Tourism in the Napa Valley (Indiana University Press, 2011) and The Parish behind God's Back: The Changing Culture of Rural Barbados.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Preface to the Second Edition	p. xi
Island Tourism	p. 1
Work and Encounters in Tourism	p. 27
The Airport	p. 42
Redcap
Teller and Money Exchanger
The Hotel	p. 56
Taxi Driver
Bartender
Guest Services Director
Room Attendant (Maid)
Security
Chef
Manager
The Beach	p. 113
Beach Vendor
Hotel Water Sports
Jet-Ski Operator
Dive Shop
The Attractions	p. 138
Cruise-Ship Shore Excursions
Island Bus Tours
Co-Pilot, Atlantis Submarines
Tour Guide, Harrison's Cave
Captain, Jolly Roger Pirate Cruises
Owner-Operator
The Research and Promotion of Tourism	p. 187
Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association
Chief Research Officer, Ministry of Tourism
Conclusion	p. 210
Epilogue: Student Encounters with Tourists and Tourism	p. 227
Acknowledgments	p. 243
Acknowledgments for the Second Edition	p. 245
Bibliography	p. 247
Index	p. 253
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