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August 2, 2026Political GeographyOpen Access

Enjoying contradictions: The spectacular fantasy of tourism authenticity in southern Africa

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Authors

EZElke B. ZweersSKStasja Koot

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Overview

This article theorizes tourism authenticity as a fantasy in Southern Africa, revealing hidden narratives and implications.

Key Points

  • The aim is to theorize tourism authenticity as a constructed fantasy through Debord's spectacle and Lacanian psychoanalysis.
  • Analyzed institutionalized promotional tourism discourse surrounding the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
  • Examined narratives from various national and international stakeholders involved in KAZA.
  • Discussed the interplay between representations of nature, local cultures, and conservation efforts.
  • Highlighted how 'authenticity' is often a sold illusion through selective representations created for tourism appeal.
  • Demonstrated the role of spectacularization in sustaining fantasies that conceal societal and ecological contradictions.
  • Found that jouissance plays a key role in generating desire amid the painful contradictions inherent to these representations.

Cite This Study

Zweers et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a6eea811b0468a7eeab2cc2https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2026.103623
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