Answer to Question #253150 in History for john

Question

Critically discuss the impact of the commodification of culture on the ‘cultural stability’ of the host nation. (800 words)

Use the following sources to complete the short essay (800 words)

Ivanovic, Milena. (2008). Cultural tourism.

Keyser, Heidi & Keyser-Van der Watt, Heidi. (2002). Tourism Development.

Robert Shepherd, Commodification, culture and tourism.

Answer 1

Commodification means transforming something into a product for commercial purposes, an item to be bought and sold in the market. Intangible cultural heritage is frequently used in the commercial sector, incorporated into company names, branding, logos, and products. In a critical perspective, commodification is associated with the negative effects of globalization, causing the dispersion of local value and authenticity while a local culture is aligned to a global economy. Cultural commodification, by changing human relations, adversely affects social capital of local people which consists of values such as hospitality. Culture is commoditized when it revolves around identical mass produced products, services and experiences that are sold at a market price. For example, the culture of a nation that revolves around services such as fast food, products such as cars and experiences such as a theme park.