Month: June 2019

Clemson Graduate Student Uses an Innovative Research Approach to Understand the Lives of Marginalized Persons in the Global South

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, responsible for the creation of one in five new jobs over the last five years, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Most of those jobs are occupied by women, including in Africa. That said, job opportunities for men and women vary throughout the African continent, says E’Lisha Fogle, a doctoral student with the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management program at Clemson University, with gender dynamics playing a role.

“A woman’s experience in the tourism industry throughout Africa is affected by underlying societal, cultural and political influences that affect how, where and when she could be involved in – and constrained by – tourism,” Fogle says.

Past research on gender and tourism in Africa has primarily focused on entrepreneurship, empowerment and other community-based initiatives involving women. Although those are important perspectives, Fogle is applying a different approach to understanding constraints to women’s participation in tourism and its related industries.

Fogle is analyzing these relationships through collective memory work, a research tool that addresses power structures, hegemony and inequality, with a goal of emancipation through discourse analysis. Members of the collective are able to deconstruct their own narratives, which, in Fogle’s research, also creates a safe space for personal growth and empowerment. Fogle believes this approach can play an integral role towards gender equality in the Global South, which includes most countries in Africa, Central and Latin America, Asia and some countries in Europe.

“Collective memory work is still emerging in Africa as a tourism research tool, as there are fewer women of color investigating these phenomena from an academic perspective,” says Fogle. “As a result, it has been relatively underutilized as a method to understanding issues affecting women in tourism spaces.”

Fogle spent a month in Livingstone, Zambia, between December 2018 to January 2019, with a group of six participants recognized by the collective memory work methodology as co-researchers. Fogle served as the group scholar with five female community members.  Together, they used collective memory work to explore how gender could constrain female participation in the tourism industry. Her goal is to apply a new layer to existing research that can be used to help encourage confidence in the workplace among women and lead to better opportunities, both in and beyond the industry.

Fogle’s faculty advisor, Dr. Lauren Duffy, says that E’Lisha’s work focuses on an important topic that needs our attention. “Ensuring women have access to the tourism industry as a source of employment and income is vital in terms of providing the means for economic and social independence,” Duffy says. “E’Lisha’s research is pushing new boundaries methodologically and having a direct impact on the people and organizations she’s working with.”

Fogle’s impact on the Livingstone community goes beyond her academic research. Before she left for Livingstone last December, she raised $1,300 that was divided equally among six local organizations to purchase equipment and supplies, education materials and uniforms, and health and hygiene products for women and children.

Dollars were also used to address critical facility needs – for example, financial support provided to the Baobuyu Learning Center, which provides free schooling to young children in the Mwandi area, covered their water, sewage and electricity costs for an entire year, while also helping them prepare their roof for upcoming maintenance work. Kwathu Children’s Home, which operates an orphanage and free community school, was able to purchase food supplies for the first quarter of the year.

Fogle’s philanthropic efforts were supported by the Conservation and Tourism Society in Livingstone, with Society member Jacob Kampindu facilitating the relationships between Fogle and the participating organizations.

“It’s important to me to ensure that my research in Africa does more than benefit me as a scholar,” says Fogle. “The dollars we were able to raise provided direct, and immediate, benefits to the communities sharing their knowledge and insight with me, while also raising awareness of their work here in Clemson.”

Fogle is now back in Africa sharing her collective memory work research approach at two major tourism conferences – at the ATLAS Africa conference in Uganda, which explores innovations in tourism, and the Insaka 2019 Symposium in South Africa, focusing on transformative conservation. She’s hoping her presentations will raise awareness and encourage the use of collective memory work in tourism research.

“Understanding gender constraints to female participation in the tourism industry is critical, given the number of women working in the field. The collective memory work approach provides invaluable new insight into what opportunities and challenges women working in tourism are facing,” says Fogle. “My hope is that the more we share information about this research technique, the more female African researchers will begin to see the value in using it.”

Carmen Nibigira knows the value of focus and persistence.

She pursued – and earned – a PhD, taking several twists and turns along the way. Carmen started her PhD journey in 2012 when she moved to Clemson from Burundi, a difficult decision that took her away from her children, who stayed with family back home while she studied.

Although she had quickly risen in her field, Carmen was conscious that dynamics in the tourism and hospitality field were changing, and that she had much to learn if she wanted to continue to advance her career. “My professional background was in hospitality, however, I began to see tourism industry discussions shift to a greater focus on conservation, preservation and community engagement,” Carmen says. “I had little knowledge at the time about how my journey in Clemson would unfold, but had faith that pursuing my education in tourism development, with a focus on policy, here was the best decision, regardless of the circumstances.”

In 2014, two years into her doctoral studies, she temporarily put them on hold to take a job as Director General of the Burundi National Tourism Office. This position gave her an opportunity to serve her country, apply her newfound knowledge and skills, and to make a difference. A year after that, Carmen was preparing for her comprehensive exams (also called comps, which are a key part of the process towards earning a PhD), when she accepted another position, this time serving as the regional tourism coordinator for the East Africa Tourism Platform. She was joined by her family in Nairobi, who had abruptly left their home country because of a political situation.

She continued to work towards her PhD part-time, and earned her doctorate this past May. Carmen’s faculty advisor, Travel and Tourism Professor Sheila Backman, says this kind of tenacity and focus is typical for Carmen. “Other graduate students find themselves needing to overcome challenges while they complete their credential, but not like Carmen,” said Sheila. “Instead of slowing her down, she always manages to navigate through anything that’s thrown her way. And she does it the right way. As a result, her academic and practitioner colleagues have tremendous respect for her and the knowledge, skills and commitment she brings to the table.”

Carmen started her academic career in the United Kingdom, earning her undergraduate degree in Brighton and her master’s in Birmingham, with experiences in Switzerland and East Africa. Earning a PhD in North America was appealing to Carmen, as she wanted to learn about tourism from a different cultural perspective. She chose Clemson because of its climate, tourism and parks management program and faculty’s international reputation.

While she studied, Carmen also continued her long-standing work to empower women throughout East Africa by creating opportunities for education and mentorship. Carmen’s personally mentored dozens of women during her 20-year career in the travel and hospitality industry, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Akilah Institute in Rwanda, a women’s college that prepares a new generation of African female leaders. The institute has been so successful that it’s looking to expand, with a goal of creating a network of campuses across sub-Saharan Africa within the next 15 years.

Carmen sees herself as being in a unique position to help, as an industry leader and one of a small percentage of people throughout the world who have a PhD. “Education is a great opportunity for young women. But it’s not just about education. It’s about the quality of education, equal pay, being able to get a good job and striving to have it all, just not all at once,” says Carmen. “It took me 15-20 years to work towards my PhD, when you factor in my university education and work experience. Once you understand that hard work pays, you become mentally prepared for the challenge.”

She’s now working as a Project Director for Horwath HTL, an international consulting firm that provides governments and other clients with tourism research, policy and strategy development and implementation support in East Africa. And she’s recently found a new challenge to pursue, after a conversation with one of her sons. “He asked me, why are you always focused on helping girls? Why not boys?” she said. His statement caught her off guard, and made her think.

“I’m a mother of boys, and began to wonder, are we creating the same opportunities for them? We perceive boys as having an advantage, but I’ve started to wonder if that’s really the case,” says Carmen. “I’m compelled to see how I can start engaging boys in the very near future. We have helped girls and women access education and equal opportunities, and boys are feeling left out.”

“After all, in Africa, we say that it takes a village to raise a child,” she continues. “I feel like it took several countries to raise me. If I can make a difference in any way, I will.”

Clemson University hosted its inaugural Race Symposium last week, bringing scholars from across North America together to discuss opportunities, challenges, and current work associated with Race-related research in leisure studies.

Although progress is being made to increase diversity in higher education, a recent study released by the American Council on Education demonstrates that more needs to be done. The study found that while diversity among faculty, staff and administrators is increasing, nearly three-quarters of full-time faculty identify as white. People of color also represented less than one-fifth of senior executives on campus.

“One of the priorities outlined in the university’s ClemsonFORWARD 10-year strategic plan is to enhance diversity and create an environment of inclusive excellence,” says Wayne Freimund, PRTM Chair. “There is a clear need for diversity in the leisure studies field, where our professional ranks and emerging academic leadership is relatively homogenous. We’re going all-in as a department to change that.”

The symposium was co-sponsored by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, the College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences, and the university’s Office of Inclusion and Equity. Pathway Post-Doctoral Fellow Aby Sène-Harper and Assistant Professor Harrison Pinckney led the organization of this event to address a growing need in research on Race and leisure. “We know that several of our colleagues in the field are doing important work in this area, however, there aren’t many opportunities for this community to come together, share ideas in a focused discussion, and support one another,” says Sène-Harper. “We wanted to get a sense of what research was already underway, and provide valuable input – and a shared direction – for moving forward.”

The symposium explored how the leisure research field currently examines Race, trends taking place in other disciplines, and how scholars can work together to support the development of a relevant body of work about Race in a leisure context. Sessions included discussions about how the concept of Race developed in the United States, a history of Race in leisure studies, and an overview for responsibly engaging in Race scholarship. Junior faculty and PhD students were also provided with the space to present their research ideas and receive comprehensive feedback from peers and leaders in the field to hone their research focus.

“Working together gives us a unique opportunity to see our research through different perspectives and levels of academic experience,” says Pinckney. “Participants can use the input they received to strengthen or refocus their research goals, while also creating new opportunities for collaboration with our colleagues moving forward.”

Before the symposium ended, teams were encouraged to continue to work together over the coming months to develop a manuscript addressing some aspect of Race scholarship in leisure, such as a systematic leisure review, literature content analysis, concept paper or research study. The department is looking to host an annual gathering of emerging and established Race scholars and plans are already underway for continuing this important work.

“We had some invaluable group discussions and generated positive momentum, and we want to keep that going,” continues Pinckney. “Continuing to come together can help us track our progress. For example, will we see increased diversity in faculty throughout the country? Are the number of published research results increasing? Are there other impacts? Hosting this event on a regular basis can help us identify trends – either positive or negative – and create lasting opportunity.”

Feedback received from symposium events will also help guide PRTM department efforts to meet the ClemsonFORWARD goal of making the university an outstanding place to live, learn and work, while also increasing diversity and a climate of inclusive excellence.

Clemson’s first-ever study abroad trip to Cuba demonstrates the importance of tourism to the country’s economy and culture

Last month, a group of students led by Clemson University Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) faculty member Dr. Lauren Duffy and the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Gantt Multicultural Center, Dr. Kendra Stewart-Tillman, took part in Clemson’s first-ever study abroad program in Cuba.

The program studied the intersections of tourism and society, from the historic to the modern, and applied a critical lens to how the travel and tourism industry interfaced with social structures and norms that influence daily life for many Cubans, such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation.

Lauren feels this study abroad program was particularly timely, as it allowed students to see first-hand the impact tourism can have on a society. “In Cuba, tourism is an important industry sector, and the country is largely dependent on revenue from inbound travelers,” she says.

The visit came during a period of instability between Cuba and the U.S., with political issues including increased travel restrictions and a drawback from a once thawing relationship. Lauren says that these challenges, combined with political unrest in allying countries, has resulted in an economic downturn in Cuba, with food shortages in key household items, such as meat, eggs, and flour. “Being in Cuba during these events gave students valuable insight into both the impact tourism can have on a country’s economy, infrastructure, quality of life, and culture, as well as how intertwined Cuba-U.S. relations have been historically,” she says. “It also allowed students to critically challenge popular narratives regarding this relationship.”

Before they left for the trip, students studied the history of travel and tourism in Cuba, and socio-political considerations. This ensured students had the background they needed to be able to assess the current state of tourism, while also considering how it has been shaped by a history of colonialism, slavery, racism, and gender ideology.

“Understanding a country’s past and how it impacts its present and future state helps students apply a different lens to their travel experience,” Lauren continues. “When you understand a country’s history and heritage, you are better equipped to understand how key tourism topics such as conservation, preservation, and economic impact cannot be addressed with one-size-fits-all solutions.”

While in Cuba, the students experienced the country’s rich Afro-Cuban heritage, with visits to colonial, pre-Revolution, and post-Revolution interpretative sites. Discussions with guest speakers through the Center for José Martí Studies helped students unpack the complexities of living in a socialist country with an evolving mixed-economy that is largely spurred by growth of private sector enterprises within tourism – a change that has allowed for a classist society to re-emerge within Havana.

The program was developed through a partnership between the Gantt Multicultural Center and PRTM, with scholarship support being provided by the Gantt Center to increase underrepresented student participation in study abroad programs.

“We were able to support several students as the inaugural cohort of Gantt Study Abroad Fellows, which provided funding assistance for underrepresented student populations that do not typically study abroad at high rates,” said Stewart-Tillman. “This was the first time Clemson sponsored a trip to Cuba and we hope this becomes a regular opportunity for our students in the future.”