Mediating Rurality History and Exclusivity in Em

Authors: Marta Lalanda Prista

Publish Date: 2013

Volume: , Issue: , Pages: 109-128

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Abstract

This chapter examines modern consumption of heritage through the lens of culturally motivated tourism in the Pousadas de Portugal a stateowned chain of tourist accommodations created in 1939 Located primarily in rural areas installed in historic fabric and associated with upperclass taste Pousadas provide a catalog of modalities of representing and consuming rurality history and exclusivity Grounded in anthropological fieldwork the chapter analyzes the centrality of different cultural repertoires in the Pousadas’ guests’ motivations and the depth of their tourism experiences It argues that Pousadas have become heritage attractions in themselves not only disclosing postmodern understanding of the past but also confirming tourism consumption as a learning skill within classificatory struggles where upper and new middle classes strive to assert cultural capital and social differentiationI would like to thank the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia FCT Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for its support in the form of a postdoctoral research fellowship SFRH/BPD/75978/2011 and all the informants that contributed to this study

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