Introducing Andy Jarosz as Guest Editor and our Travel Essay Series
November marks the start of a new project on the Tourdust blog, we’ve invited Andy Jarosz from the acclaimed 501 Places blog to take the reins as guest editor of the blog and the @tourdust twitter account.
During Andy’s reign as guest editor we will be publishing a series of thought provoking articles questioning why we travel, how it effects the places we visit and ultimately how we can improve the impact we have on local communities.
We’ll be asking if travel is a rite of passage, a mythological adventure or simply just a form of consumption with the tourist nothing more than a cultural cannibal.
We’ll be investigating whether travel is a form of cultural imperialism destroying cultures and sustaining inequalities or whether the cultural change and development catalysed by tourism is actually a positive.
The Series in Full
Why we travel
The impact of travel
How and where should we travel
With each subject we will publish thoughts both from Andy (in his capacity as travel blogger) and David Jobanputra (PhD in social anthropology) who has studied first hand the impact of eco-development and grassroots advocacy in India. We’ll be pitching the blogger's view against the academic's view, as well, of course as welcoming comments from all of our readers.
There are no right's or wrong's in these discussions, no absolute truths. Our objective, as passionate believers in local and responsible travel, is to provoke thoughtfulness and raise awareness of the issues. So please let us know your thoughts, your experience and your comments and if the debate moves you to blog about it, let us know and we will happily link to your contribution to the debate!
About Andy Jarosz
Andy blogs at 501Places and is a Lonely Planet featured blogger and freelance writer. Andy has travelled across six continents (Antarctica is still on the list) and has a particular interest in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, as these areas act as the backdrop to his family's incredible history. He also has a fascination with the aurora borealis and is always eager to brave the cold dark nights of the north to catch another glimpse of nature's greatest show.
About David Jobanputra
David Jobanputra is a writer and anthropologist specialising in development, cultural change and environmental ethics. He recently completed a PhD in Social Anthropology at University College London, which looked at grassroots advocacy and eco-development in the Aravalli mountains of Rajasthan, India. In addition to living and working in the subcontinent, David has travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, including overland trips from Tibet to Scotland and Beijing to Java. David recently returned from 18 months living with a tribe in the Rajasthani desert.
