Ethnic politics and tourism a British Case Study

This paper argues that one can better understand the phenomenon of ethnicity in the West through an analysis of tourism representations of a regions history and culture and of the many motives behind them. It examines the rise of a particular version of Shetland (United Kingdom) identity by linking the differing goals of the local bourgeoisie, as well as the bulk of the islands inhabitants, with the projects of the Shetland Tourist Organisation and related groups. While this version of Shetlandness is understood as providing a Durkheimian sense of unity for many inhabitants, its origins and increasing articulations with the economic and political goals of the islands bourgeoisie are the main concerns of the paper.