OCCUPATION,WORK,AND LEISURE 201 leisure which makes work a type of tourist thentic,settings for tourists demonstrates this attraction.Tours of wineries,canning fac- problem,e.g,the“staged”backstage at Para- tories,and automobile factories are cases in mount movie studios.MacCannell offers one point.We witness the work process but not possible way to distinguish the spurious from the workers;we see the produced commodity the genuine,this occurring in the operation but not the sweat of the production. of the commercial realm where "spurious so- This approach to work takes up Marx's dis- cial relations and structural elements can be cussion of the problems of industrial society bought,sold,traded and distributed through- in a new way.MacCannell argues that the ob- out the world”(p.155) jects of structural differentiation are newer While the viability of traditional culture types of commodities,experiential in nature seems to be severely questioned today,Mac- rather than material.When the value of a Cannell observes that this is an ongoing commodity is based upon promised experi- struggle between the plasticity of touristic ences,rather than labor time invested,its imageries and a valid,historical past that usefulness,or its exchange value,the time is seems less plastic,less portable.In a chapter ripe for transforming the meaning of work on practical applications,he contrasts both settings into tourist attractions. industrial and plantation forms of tourism In the same way tourism is work and it is with“natural growth tourism.”He suggests alienated in essence.MacCannell bases his an emergent,local tourism can become one view of "touristic consciousness"on the idea way to reinstate the best of what we think that people are now "liberated from tradi- of ourselves and our histories.The weight of tional attachments into the modern world his argument,though,makes one less opti- where,as tourists,they may attempt to dis- mistic than one senses him to be. cover or reconstruct a cultural heritage or a MacCannell makes few apologies for his social identity"(p.13)."The act of sight- methodology,which combines field notes,ap- seeing is a kind of involvement with social parently a great deal of traveling,semiotic appearances that helps the person to construct analysis of diverse forms of memorabilia, totalities from his disparate experiences"(p. newspapers,books,and archives.He has a 15).This work is discussed further in a chap- clever sense of the perfect example given ter titled "Ethnomethodology of Sightseers. with a touch of amusement.He need not He considers an aspect of the tourists'authen- apologize,for his analysis is evocatively cor- tication of their experiences or "the accom- rect and well done. plishment of touristic certainty"(p.135). Nonetheless there are a few problems with Tourists employ sights and sight markers- his approach.Immediately the seeker of all forms of information about a specific sight causes will ask "why all this tourism,the -in the work of producing certainty or truth plasticity of cultural forms,the hollowness of about the existence and meaning of "what a visit to Yellowstone Park?"He doesn't they've really seen."The end product is a truly address this issue.Social structural cognitive organization of information per- differentiation seems to be both cause and tinent to authenticating one's own status as result of modernity.However,this criticism a good tourist.Cliches are more than banal is more appropriate to critical discussions of phrases;they are proof of one's experiences. structuralism itself.Since MacCannell's text A sense of consensus about the meaningful is not an attempt to do such the charge is features of these settings,and the contempo- less relevant. rary world,emerges from this interpretive Some might take issue with his concept of work of viewing and conversing. authenticity.He is only concerned with a A chapter on the semiotic of attractions type of apolitical,existential authenticity.It takes up the uses of information to construct would have made stronger political commen- a sense of consensus.Here he looks at the tary (which in some sense I think MacCan- transformation of object and place into attrac- nell intended)had the question of political tions,their gradual movement from a setting legitimacy been placed in contrast to experi- to a representation of a setting,e.g.,a ential authenticity.Otherwise the fuss about miniature Eiffel Tower.He points out the Olympic athlete's national representation, there is no easy solution to the problem of for example,would seem irrelevant or trivial. what is real or not,or genuine or fake,since Tourism,money,and politics all affected the modernization can quickly transform the final packaging of that particular attraction. meaning of both truth and non-truth,spuri-In another way he overvalues the term au- ous and genuine structure.The staging of thenticity.Some tourists may not seek authen- authentic,or more or less apparently au- tic experiences or truth.Tourists could also This content downloaded from 130.237.29.138 on Mon,14 Dec 2015 06:46:11 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsOCCUPATION, WORK, AND LEISURE 201 leisure which makes work a type of tourist attraction. Tours of wineries, canning fac￾tories, and automobile factories are cases in point. We witness the work process but not the workers; we see the produced commodity but not the sweat of the production. This approach to work takes up Marx's dis￾cussion of the problems of industrial society in a new way. MacCannell argues that the ob￾jects of structural differentiation are newer types of commodities, experiential in nature rather than material. When the value of a commodity is based upon promised experi￾ences, rather than labor time invested, its usefulness, or its exchange value, the time is ripe for transforming the meaning of work settings into tourist attractions. In the same way tourism is work and it is alienated in essence. MacCannell bases his view of "touristic consciousness" on the idea that people are now "liberated from tradi￾tional attachments into the modern world where, as tourists, they may attempto dis￾cover or reconstruct a cultural heritage or a social identity" (p. 13). "The act of sight￾seeing is a kind of involvement with social appearances that helps the person to construct totalities from his disparate experiences" (p. 15). This work is discussed further in a chap￾ter titled "Ethnomethodology of Sightseers.' He considers an aspect of the tourists' authen￾tication of their experiences or "the accom￾plishment of touristic certainty" (p. 135). Tourists employ sights and sight markers￾all forms of information about a specific sight -in the work of producing certainty or truth about the existence and meaning of "what they've really seen." The end product is a cognitive organization of information per￾tinent to authenticating one's own status as a good tourist. Cliches are more than banal phrases; they are proof of one's experiences. A sense of consensus about the meaningful features of these settings, and the contempo￾rary world, emerges from this interpretive work of viewing and conversing. A chapter on the semiotic of attractions takes up the uses of information to construct a sense of consensus. Here he looks at the transformation of object and place into attrac￾tions, their gradual movement from a setting to a representation of a setting, e.g., a miniature Eiffel Tower. He points out there is no easy solution to the problem of what is real or not, or genuine or fake, since modernization can quickly transform the meaning of both truth and non-truth, spuri￾ous and genuine structure. The staging of authentic, or more or less apparently au￾thentic, settings for tourists demonstrates this problem, e.g., the "staged" backstage at Para￾mount movie studios. MacCannell offers one possible way to distinguish the spurious from the genuine, this occurring in the operation of the commercial realm where "spuriouso￾cial relations and structural elements can be bought, sold, traded and distributed through￾out the world" (p. 155). While the viability of traditional culture seems to be severely questioned today, Mac￾Cannell observes that this is an ongoing struggle between the plasticity of touristic imageries and a valid, historical past that seems less plastic, less portable. In a chapter on practical applications, he contrasts both industrial and plantation forms of tourism with "natural growth tourism." He suggests an emergent, local tourism can become one way to reinstate the best of what we think of ourselves and our histories. The weight of his argument, though, makes one less opti￾mistic than one senses him, to be. MacCannell makes few apologies for his methodology, which combines field notes, ap￾parently a great deal of traveling, semiotic analysis of diverse forms of memorabilia, newspapers, books, and archives. He has a clever sense of the perfect example given with a touch of amusement. He need not apologize, for his analysis is evocatively cor￾rect and well done. Nonetheless there are a few problems with his approach. Immediately the seeker of causes will ask "why all this tourism, the plasticity of cultural forms, the hollowness of a visit to Yellowstone Park?" He doesn't truly address this issue. Social structural differentiation seems to be both cause and result of modernity. However, this criticism is more appropriate to critical discussions of structuralism itself. Since MacCannell's text is not an attempt to do such the charge is less relevant. Some might take issue with his concept of authenticity. He is only concerned with a type of apolitical, existential authenticity. It would have made stronger political commen￾tary (which in some sense I think MacCan￾nell intended) had the question of political legitimacy been placed in contrasto experi￾ential authenticity. Otherwise the fuss about the Olympic athlete's national representation, for example, would seem irrelevant or trivial. Tourism, money, and politics all affected the final packaging of that particular attraction. In another way he overvalues the term au￾thenticity. Some tourists may not seek authen￾tic experiences or truth. Tourists could also This content downloaded from 130.237.29.138 on Mon, 14 Dec 2015 06:46:11 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions