Bali: A Paradise Globalized
By Michael Hitchcock
Globalization in Bali is closely linked to tourism, and a substantial literature has emerged decrying the alleged threat posed by this industry to traditional society. Wood (1993), however, takes issue with the view that tourism in Southeast Asia may be likened to a game of billiards, in which the moving ball (tourism) acts upon an inert ball (the local culture). Wood maintains that this approach treats indigenous culture as uniform, passive, and inert and he has argued that international tourism neither destroys local culture nor simply conserves it. Instead tourism is caught up in an on-going experience of cultural invention, in which Westernization is but a part of a wider process of cultural change. The new world system, instead of creating global cultural homogeneity, supplants one set of separate diversities with another set based on inter-relations.Picard (1993) suggests that tourism cannot readily be isolated from many other aspects of culture, especially where there is a long history of tourism. The treatment of tourism as a solely exterior force may ignore how tourism can become an inseparable part of local reality. If culture is conceived of as static entity, then the actions and motivations of local participants are overlooked. Artistic styles, performing arts, and even changes in dietary habits can be seen as local attempts to accommodate the experience of tourism.
Studies by Picard and others suggest that the distinction between indigenous and touristic culture is not clearly maintained. Performances designed for tourists have, for example, been imported back into religious settings; Western theatrical conventions have been incorporated into hitherto sacred dances. Performances created for national arts events and international audiences come to be regarded by the Balinese themselves as representatively Balinese. The culture that emerges reflects interaction with various interlocutors, including the overlapping networks of global tourism and the Indonesian state.
Despite attempts by various interest groups to modify Bali's image, the tropes used by international tourism predominate in marketing. Research interest in brochures is, however, relatively new and the coverage has been patchy. These global images of Bali are not necessarily closely linked to the original Bali and often exist independently of the island. The symbol of 'Bali' has come to stand for almost anything tropical, exotic, and leisurely and the use of 'Bali' as a brand name continues to flourish.
The debates concerning tourism in Bali have turned to global kinds of questions such as sustainability. There is the competition from other Indonesian islands such as Lombok, which is being promoted as another Bali. There is also a debate concerning the quality and economic status of the tourists. In addition, there have been protests against certain kinds of tourism development, though they should be treated on a case by case basis and should not be taken as a generalized anti-tourism stance on the part of the islanders. Sustainable forms of tourism need to take account of social and environmental concerns, and address the needs of both tourists and the Balinese.
Michael Hitchcock is Professor at the Centre for Leisure and Tourism Studies, University of North London, Stapleton House, 277-281 Holloway Road, London N7 8HN, United Kingdom.