Immersions in Cultural Difference

Tourism, War, Performance

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Travel
Cover of the book Immersions in Cultural Difference by Natalie Alvarez, University of Michigan Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Natalie Alvarez ISBN: 9780472123544
Publisher: University of Michigan Press Publication: February 6, 2018
Imprint: University of Michigan Press Language: English
Author: Natalie Alvarez
ISBN: 9780472123544
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Publication: February 6, 2018
Imprint: University of Michigan Press
Language: English

In a time of intensifying xenophobia and anti-immigration measures, this book examines the impulse to acquire a deeper understanding of cultural others. Immersions in Cultural Difference takes readers into the heart of immersive simulations, including a simulated terrorist training camp in Utah; mock Afghan villages at military bases in Canada and the UK; a fictional Mexico-US border run in Hidalgo, Mexico; and an immersive tour for settlers at a First Nations reserve in Manitoba, Canada. Natalie Alvarez positions the phenomenon of immersive simulations within intersecting cultural formations: a neoliberal capitalist interest in the so-called “experience economy” that operates alongside histories of colonization and a heightened state of xenophobia produced by War on Terror discourse. The author queries the ethical stakes of these encounters, including her own in relation to the field research she undertakes. As the book moves from site to site, the reader discovers how these immersions function as intercultural rehearsal theaters that serve a diverse set of strategies and pedagogical purposes: they become a “force multiplier” within military strategy, a transgressive form of dark tourism, an activist strategy, and a global, profit-generating practice for a neoliberal capitalist marketplace.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In a time of intensifying xenophobia and anti-immigration measures, this book examines the impulse to acquire a deeper understanding of cultural others. Immersions in Cultural Difference takes readers into the heart of immersive simulations, including a simulated terrorist training camp in Utah; mock Afghan villages at military bases in Canada and the UK; a fictional Mexico-US border run in Hidalgo, Mexico; and an immersive tour for settlers at a First Nations reserve in Manitoba, Canada. Natalie Alvarez positions the phenomenon of immersive simulations within intersecting cultural formations: a neoliberal capitalist interest in the so-called “experience economy” that operates alongside histories of colonization and a heightened state of xenophobia produced by War on Terror discourse. The author queries the ethical stakes of these encounters, including her own in relation to the field research she undertakes. As the book moves from site to site, the reader discovers how these immersions function as intercultural rehearsal theaters that serve a diverse set of strategies and pedagogical purposes: they become a “force multiplier” within military strategy, a transgressive form of dark tourism, an activist strategy, and a global, profit-generating practice for a neoliberal capitalist marketplace.

More books from University of Michigan Press

Cover of the book Volatile States by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book With All Deliberate Speed by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Foreign Policy and Congress by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book When the Stakes Are High by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book The Political Economy of Expertise by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Broadway Rhythm by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Causal Case Study Methods by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book The Stage Life of Props by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Affirmative Action and Minority Enrollments in Medical and Law Schools by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Narrating Their Lives by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Gender Quotas and Democratic Participation by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book The Supreme Court on Trial by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Settlers of Unassigned Lands by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book Floating Palaces of the Great Lakes by Natalie Alvarez
Cover of the book White Rebels in Black by Natalie Alvarez
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy