Between self-orientalism and strategic self-image: Navigating discourse from ASEAN tourism videos

This study investigates the dynamics of tourism representation, with a particular focus on self-orientalism, the pervasive influence of Western narratives, and the emergence of strategic self-representation. Using audio-visual discourse analysis, the study analyzes ASEAN tourism videos from 2014 to 2023 to explore how these media artifacts either reflect practices of (self)-orientalism or demonstrate strategic self-representation within a postcolonial context. The findings show that while (self)-orientalism reveals the persistent influence of Western discourse on Asian identities, the evolving narratives in recent promotional videos illustrate a motivated strategy for more autonomous and diverse self-representation. This research highlights the ongoing influence of Western discourse while emphasizing the emerging trend toward more autonomous self-representation in promotional media.