Female sex tourism In Barbados: a postcolonial perspective
Phillips, J. 2008. Female sex tourism In Barbados: a postcolonial perspective. Brown Journal of World Affairs. 14 (2), pp. 1-12.
Phillips, J. 2008. Female sex tourism In Barbados: a postcolonial perspective. Brown Journal of World Affairs. 14 (2), pp. 1-12.
| Title | Female sex tourism In Barbados: a postcolonial perspective |
|---|---|
| Authors | Phillips, J. |
| Abstract | The prevailing image of sex tourism is one in which a Western male sex tourist travels to the developing world—particularly Southeast Asia—to find an otherized female sex worker. Early studies on sex tourism tended to focus on this image, posing the worker as a victim of both economic and patriarchal power. However, since the mid-1990s, there has been growing acknowledgement that sex tourism is a dynamic feature of the tourism industry, with gender variables constantly changing. One now has the opportunity to study either one or both sexes together, theorizing how behaviors and roles are given gendered meanings, how labor is divided to express gender and gendered differences symbolically, and how social structures incorporate gender values and convey gender advantages in hierarchical relationships. Based on this broader framework, it is suggested that many of the sex tourists traveling to the developing world are female. Indeed, the entry of women as consumers within the sex tourism industry dates back to the early 1960s. At that time, Scandinavian, British, and German women began to travel to other European destinations—particularly to Italy, Spain, and Greece—in order to engage in situational sexual relations with local men. The arrival of mass tourism allowed women to travel farther afield to find young men. This article explores the interactions between white female tourists and local men in Barbados, and the implications of these relationships for indigenous gender and sexuality. It also seeks to examine the experiences, views, and attitudes of "beach boys" engaged in sex tourism, and explore the implications of female sex tourism for local communities. It is based on observation, group discussions, and in-depth interviews conducted by the author in Barbados from 1998 to 2000. |
| Journal | Brown Journal of World Affairs |
| Journal citation | 14 (2), pp. 1-12 |
| ISSN | 1080-0786 |
| Year | 2008 |
| Publisher | Brown University |
| Web address (URL) | http://www.bjwa.org/article.php?id=fl3SwHvs7NtF7BW4o6TZO72q2syLfK6616se23vL |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 2008 |