Comprehensive Geography and Cultural Studies: Tourism, Migration, and Media

Grand Tour

Late 17th-early 19th century European elite educational travel; precursor to modern tourism.

Four S's

Sun, Sea, Sand, Sex—core elements of standardized tourism.

Neo-Colonialism

Modern tourism recreates colonial power dynamics through standardized and homogenized experiences.

Tourism as Economic Development

Tourism used to build infrastructure and income but can cause cultural loss, environmental harm, and resource dependence.

Ecotourism

Sustainable travel focused on low impact, culture protection, and environmental preservation.

Sustainable Development

Slow, long-term development preserving culture, environment, and community well-being.

Commodification of Culture

Turning cultural traditions and identities into products for tourist consumption.

Transnationalism

Cross-border flows of people, culture, and money creating multi-country identities.

Borders

are porous, negotiated spaces where informal and formal systems meet.

WEEK 9 — STRIFE & STRUCTURAL INEQUALITY

State (Weber)

Entity holding the monopoly on the legitimate use of violence within a territory.

Resource Curse

Nations rich in natural resources becoming unstable due to competition, corruption, and conflict.

Structural Violence

Harm caused by institutional barriers that limit access to basic needs.

Galtung's Violence Types

Direct (physical harm), Structural (systemic harm), Cultural (norms justifying violence).

Structural Inequality

Unequal distribution of resources and opportunities across groups.

Difference: Structural Inequality vs Structural Violence

Inequality is the unequal structure; violence is the harm caused by those inequalities.

WEEK 10 — MIGRATION

Immigration

Entering a country to live.

Emigration

Leaving a country to live elsewhere.

Migration/Immigration/Circulation

Mobility that is multidirectional, repeated, and often seasonal.

Forced Migration

Movement compelled by conflict, coercion, or crisis.

Refugee

Person fleeing conflict across an international border.

Asylee

Person seeking protection in a second country.

IDP

Person displaced within their own country.

Invisibility (Stoller)

Migrants becoming socially or legally unseen in host societies.

Economic Agility and Cultural Dexterity

Migrants' skill in adapting economically and culturally across contexts.

Traders

Migrant identity providing legitimacy, networks, and economic mobility.

Hausa Traders in NYC

West African traders using networks and circular migration to sustain livelihoods.

History of Hausa in West Africa

Long history of mobility and trade shaping identity.

Networks

Systems of senior-junior (patron-child) ties enabling movement and support.

Transnationalism

Maintaining ties to multiple countries simultaneously.

Borders (Nordstrom)

Flexible, negotiated zones rather than fixed barriers.

WEEK 11 — INFORMAL ECONOMIES

Informal Economy

Economic activity outside state regulation.

Borders (Nordstrom)

Informal and formal economies overlap and shape each other at borders.

Commodity Chains

Paths goods take from production to consumer (e.g., cigarettes, diamonds, pharmaceuticals).

Smuggling

Moving goods outside regulated channels.

Il/Legal

Blurred space where legal and illegal processes overlap; legality depends on the process, not object.

Black Market

Trade of illegal goods.

Grey Market

Trade of legal goods through unauthorized channels.

Pharmaceutical Argument (Nordstrom)

Trust is placed in people, not brands; legality categories fail to capture real global flows.

Legal vs Illegal Categories Fail

Goods shift categories based on process; globalization defies binary systems.

Why Cigarette Becomes Illegal

Legal product becomes illegal when taxes or regulations are bypassed.

Coconuts for Diamonds

Value depends on context—scarce goods can outweigh rare goods in conflict zones.

WEEK 12 — MEDIA

Nollywood

Nigerian film industry with fast, low-budget productions and massive informal economy.

Parallel Modernities

Multiple cultural paths to modernity coexisting simultaneously.

New Nollywood

Higher-budget, more commercial Nigerian films.

Hip Hop in Japan

Imported in the 1970s-90s; became localized and commercialized after 2000.

Genba

"Site of actualization" where cultural production happens (clubs, studios, festivals).

Globalization from Below

Cultural flows created by ordinary people rather than institutions.

Commercialization

Turning cultural practices into marketable products.

Mass Media

Large-scale communication systems shaping public culture.

Pop Culture

Widely shared cultural expressions spread through media.