Reflection of Critical Theory Within the Contemporary Tourism Industry

Introduction

Evaluating critical theory's impact, influence, and effectiveness can be challenging due to its intangible and subjective nature. However, several methods and criteria are available to assess its application and effect on the tourism industry. The critical paradigm has been a fundamental concept in social sciences since its inception, encompassing numerous fields such as sociology, psychology, communication, arts, and linguistics. Nevertheless, its implementation has yet to be investigated in modern tourism as a scientific domain. Critical theory is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary framework for analyzing social, cultural, and political phenomena. It originated in the Frankfurt School in the 1930s by Max Horkheimer, and its leading proponents include Herbert Marcuse, Theodor Adorno, and Jürgen Habermas. Measuring the reflection of critical theory on tourism can be a complex task due to the interdisciplinary and multifaceted nature of critical theory and the tourism industry. However, some techniques and indicators can be used to assess the extent to which critical theory is applied and its impact on tourism.

According to literature, constructivism suggests that individuals gain knowledge through experiences, observations, and interactions. Scientists actively collect data, create theories, and interpret results to understand the world. Post-constructivism, on the other hand, takes a critical and reflective approach to knowledge construction. It emphasizes the importance of power, discourse, and social context and encourages researchers to challenge dominant narratives, question assumptions, and consider knowledge production's social and political implications. This approach aims to facilitate social change and transform power relations in society. Two methods described in the above context, critical theory and its importance and effect on tourism governance, will be discussed.

Although critical theory manifests in many aspects of tourism, ranging from environmental impact, labor, tourist-employee interaction, sex and tourism, drugs, psychedelic tourism, and social effects of tourism, to name a few, each of these approaches highlights the importance of understanding power relations, social structures, and dominant ideologies in shaping social phenomena. We strive to approach the topic holistically, from a critical paradigm point of view, quantitatively and qualitatively. Critical theory is a paradigm that is usually intangible and subjective; direct measurement can be a challenging task. One can assess a paradigm's impact, influence, or effectiveness using various approaches. Some techniques and indicators can be used to determine the extent to which critical theory is applied and its effect on tourism. According to research, educational systems are divided into two parts: one focuses on science-related subjects like Engineering and Management studies, while the other focuses on social studies. The science-oriented part encourages using data and methods in the scientific process, promoting constructivism. In contrast, the latter can produce a highly critical perspective that challenges dominant narratives and assumptions about scientific outcomes. This article will discuss two important concepts: critical theory and how it affects tourism governance.

This chapter will cover three critical topics. Firstly, we will explore bibliometrics as a research tool for measuring scientific productivity in tourism journals through publications and citations. Secondly, we will delve into network analysis, which provides visualization of the relationships between nodes and components that shape the social structure of the tourism industry, including power dynamics. Lastly, we will discuss using scientific methods to gain insight into the critical paradigm as a framework for understanding the tourism perspective. In the conclusion section, we will summarize and expand upon our findings.