Abstract

LUCAS, Joana. Between fables and reformulations: tourism in post-colonial Mauritania. Etnográfica [online]. 2017, vol.21, n.3, pp.479-492. ISSN 0873-6561.

This article aims to reflect on the reconfigurations recently performed within the scope of Mauritanian tourism. Seeking in a first moment to list the processes that led to the formalization of tourism in the post-colonial period, it then characterizes the crisis currently experienced in the sector, pursuing to identify its origins. Starting from an ethnography carried out in Nouakchott in 2010 and 2011, the text seeks to give voice to various parties linked to the tourism sector. Finally, the text discusses tourism reconversion strategies that include the export of cultural symbols and authenticity markers, and suggests the existence of new relations of dependence between France and its former colony.

Keywords : Mauritania; tourism; post-colonialism; commodification of culture.

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