Islands of Difference: Design, Urbanism, and Sustainable Tourism in the Anthropocene Caribbean

Abstract

Resumen Este artículo introduce la idea del antropoceno como un espacio problema con importancia para la antropología del caribe y la industria turística de éste. Este término es utilizado por científicos para definir la era presente en la cual los procesos humanos operan al nivel de escala geológica y biológica en la tierra, y ha venido a justificar una gran cantidad de acciones en el nombre de la sostenibilidad. A través de la examinación de una zona dedicada a la construcción de segundos hogares en las Bahamas, identifico cambios en diseño turístico de la isla que va dejando atrás el modelo del resort como enclave del turismo en masa. Argumento que las nociones de sostenibilidad del antropoceno no sólo re‐articulan las prácticas de construcción y el “branding” del destino turístico, pero también las posibilidades analíticas para el estudio de fabricación de lugar y procesos transnacionales. Abogo por una mayor incorporación de la antropología del diseño y urbana en el estudio del turismo al caribe como una forma de mejor entender estos eventos emergentes.

SIDS and environmental governance in the Anthropocene

“…Islands form a unique subset of countries, and developing islands in particular share several qualities. Many island cultures see the environment as an integral element of humanity's existence and survival but also struggle with the growing and less positive influences of the Anthropocene (Moore, 2015). Today, for many islands, risk, and environmental risk in particular, has become an integral part of the policy lexicon and of island identity (Malatesta and Schmidt di Friedberg, 2017).…”

Feeding island dreams: exploring the relationship between food security and agritourism in the Caribbean

“…Consisting of over 700 islands, astronauts have remarked that this island nation is one of the most beautiful places on Earth when seen from space; these islands are the stuff of dreams. The tourism industry of The Bahamas has expended significant time and energy selling the islands of The Bahamas as some of the most beautiful places on Earth when visited as a Euro-American vacation destination (Cleare, 2007;Moore, 2015). New Providence island is the seat of the Bahamian capital, Nassau, the home to the majority of the nation's citizens, and the site of the majority of the nation's tourist arrivals.…”

“…Only a wealthy person with direct access to capital could start a farm like this in New Providence, only affluent people can consume the farm's products, and few Bahamians benefit from the farm's existence. Instead of being a model for the development of island food security, Farm #1 features a form of agritourism that is actually a brand of 'sustainable tourism' (Moore, 2015). The organic fields of greens, the aquaponics system, and the farm-to-table feel of the restaurant align with the prevailing aesthetics of 'green local business' that is a popular high-end product for an international, cosmopolitan clientele.…”

Islands of the Anthropocene

“…Global brands make island towns more alike across the planet, and their architectures often stand out against small‐scale morphology. Sprawl is a more recent form of development (Fernandes & Pinho, ), reaching a climax in the Caribbean with time‐shares, private (mega)resorts and gated communities (Moore, ; Sheller, ; Urry, ). An inward spread of house‐and‐garden units fragments island habitats and cultural landscapes, generating the “leisuring” (Bunce, ) of landscape or the abandonment and conversion of agricultural lands to resort amenities.…”