For a critical vision of tourism studies

Abstract

The starting point of this paper is the observation that studies in tourism have been through a review of the theories developed so far and that new proposals have emerged in recent years. Research in tourism has yet to be able to build steady conceptual boundaries and there is a lack of continuity and complementarity among studies, which bring mostly the positivist perspective. That happens, among other reasons, due to the unawareness of studies undertook in the early ages of tourism as an object of investigation. Furthermore, the majority of the intellectual mainstream disregards everything not published in English. This crisis in tourism studies is itself a reflex of a larger crisis manifested in for main aspects: 1) the crisis of universities, 2) the crisis in Philosophy, 3) the crisis of cultural, human, moral and ethical values, and 4) the crisis of historical values. The authors conclude that, in order to build such a critical knowledge in tourism studies, it is necessary to make use of values and principles from Philosophy and Epistemology, otherwise there will be no advances and tourism knowledge will be kept restrained by those who "own" it.