A tourism academy for the future:
Making tourism research and
education matter.
Department of Culture and Global Studies & Tourism Research Unit
Aalborg University
Dianne Dredge
Academy = Social capital
…network of associations, activities, or relations
that bind people together as a community via
certain norms and capacities (notably trust), which
are essential for and productive of future collective
action ...
Farr, J. 2004. Social Capital: A conceptual History, Political theory, 32(1), 6-33
1. What is happening in higher education globally?
2. How is academic work changing?
3. Make you think reflexively about your role in the
academy!
Aims
The
tourism
academyAcademic
capital
The global
higher education
context
The
nature of
academic
work
Four Types of
Academic Capital
culturalinformation, knowledge,
skills, behaviours
symbolichonour, prestige,
reputation
socialsocial connections,
networks, group
membership
economicmaterial possessions,
money
€
Employment rates are higher
Earnings are higher over a lifetime
Labour force participation higher
Good health, higher social capital
Source: OECD. Education at a Glance (2014) Table A1.4a.
StatLink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933114951
Percentage of tertiary educated adults in 2000 and 201225-64 year olds
*
Industrialisation of higher
education
• Education as a
commodity
• Maximise production
• Increase efficiencies
• Specialisation of parts
Impacts of industrial production
on higher education
Break down barriers tomarket development
Expand and internationalise markets
Demand regulates nature of programs
Adapt delivery to meet market demands
Consequence:
The rise of academic capitalism
• monetisation of
research/teaching
• new circuits of knowledge
• commercialisation of research
• pursuit of prestige
• new currencies - citations,
impact, ranking
It’s intricately bound up with how we
see the role of higher education…
What is the role of the
tourism academy?
Knowledge (episteme)
Skills (techne)
Practical wisdom (phronesis)
Ethics (the good life)
Happiness (eudaimonia)
Role of Higher Education
Wilhelm von Humbolt - scientification of knowledge,
socratic teaching, knowledge production for society
Antonio
Gramsci’s
organic
intellectual
• intelligentsia versus
organic intellectuals
• articulate what’s important
to society
What might the future role of
the tourism academy be?23
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23rd Nordic Symposium 2014
2. Different types of academic capital are
accumulated, converted into a “tradeable”
commodity and reinvested
cultural symbolicsocialeconomic
€
3. Those in social proximity have a system of
perceptions, values and actions.
They invest their capital in this social group to
reinforce theirs and each others’ value.
cultural symbolicsocialeconomic
€
The global tourism academy
• 2256 members on Trinet
• Anglo-US centric
• Gender bias
• Social capital:
• Formal associations, HE institutions, interest networks, industry groups
• Editorial functions, conference organisation
• Embodied in personal networks, colleagues
Past
Academy
• Definition & tribalisation
• Recognition
• ‘Scientification’
• Exclusive
• Academy of closure
• Lobbying
• Post-disciplinarity
• Integration/relevance
• Diverse epistemologies
• Inclusive
• Transcends boundaries
• Values-based
Future
Academy
The other capitals
culturalinformation, knowledge,
skills, behaviours
symbolichonour, prestige,
reputation
socialsocial connections,
networks, group
membership
economicmaterial possessions,
money
€
Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) 2014
Call to action: Your future, your academy
Values based:
• Ethics
• Stewardship
• Knowledge
• Professionalism
• Mutuality
Selected references:
Dredge, D., Airey, D & Gross, M.J. (2014) The Routledge
Handbook of Tourism and Hospitality Education. Abingdon:
Routledge
Dredge, D., Schott, C., Daniele, R., Caton, K., Edelheim, J.
& Munar, A.M. (2014) The Tourism Education Futures
Initiative, Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and
Hospitality Research
Dredge, D. & Schott, C. (2013) Academic Agency and
Leadership in Tourism Higher Education. Journal of
Teaching in Travel and Tourism, 13(1), 105-129.
Dredge, D., Benckendorff, P., Day, M., Gross, M., Walo,
M., Weeks, P. & Whitelaw, P. (2012). Drivers of Change in
Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management Education: An
Australian Perspective. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
Education, 25: 89–102
Dredge, D., Benckendorff, P., Day, M., Gross, M., Walo,
M., Weeks, P. & Whitelaw, P. (2012) The Philosophic
Practitioner and the Curricula Space, Annals of Tourism
Research, 39 (2012), pp. 2154-2176.
Thank you