Behind the Smile, Second Edition: The Working Lives of Caribbean Tourism

by George Gmelch

Overview

Behind the Smile is an inside look at the world of Caribbean tourism as seen through the lives of the men and women in the tourist industry in Barbados. The workers represent every level of tourism, from maid to hotel manager, beach gigolo to taxi driver, red cap to diving instructor. These highly personal accounts offer insight into complex questions surrounding tourism: how race shapes interactions between tourists and workers, how tourists may become agents of cultural change, the meaning of sexual encounters between locals and tourists, and the real economic and ecological costs of development through tourism. This updated edition updates the text and includes several new narratives and a new chapter about American students' experiences during summer field school and home stays in Barbados.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253001238
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	03/21/2012
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

George Gmelch is Professor of Anthropology at the University of San Francisco and Union College. He has studied Irish Travellers, return migrants, commercial fishermen, Alaska natives, Caribbean villagers and tourism workers, and American professional baseball players. He is the author of eleven books, including (with Sharon Bohn Gmelch) Tasting the Good Life: Wine Tourism in the Napa Valley (Indiana University Press, 2011). He has written two other books on Barbados: Double Passage, which is about return migration, and The Parish behind God's Back: The Changing Culture of Rural Barbados. He has also written widely for general audiences, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Psychology Today, and Natural History.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. Island Tourism
2. Work and Encounters in Tourism
3. The Airport
Redcap Wendy Husbands
Teller and Money Exchanger Joyann Springer
4. The Hotel
Taxi Driver Trevor Mapp
Bartender Sylvan Alleyne
Guest Services Director Marilyn Cooper
Room Attendant (Maid) Sheralyn O'Neale
Security Errol Sobers
Chef Malcolm Bovell
Manager Martin Barrow
5. The Beach
Beach Vendor Rosco Roach
Hotel Water Sports Zerphyl Greaves
Jet-Ski Operator Ricky Hinds
Dive Shop Brian Rock
6. The Attractions
Cruise-Ship Shore Excursions Rosie Hartmann
Island Bus Tours Anderson Hughes
Co-Pilot, Atlantis Submarines Michael Walcott
Tour Guide, Harrison's Cave Malika Marshall
Captain, Jolly Roger Pirate Cruises Dwayne Parry
Owner-Operator, Cycling Tours Robert Quintyne
7. The Research and Promotion of Tourism
Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association Colin Jordan
Chief Research Officer, Ministry of Tourism Everton Gill
8. Conclusion
Epilogue: Student Encounters with Tourists and Tourism
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

". . . provides extraordinary insight into the personal views of tourism workers in Barbados. . . [T]he answers of the tourism workers make interesting and sometimes surprising reading."

The Nation (Barbardos)

. . . provides extraordinary insight into the personal views of tourism workers in Barbados. . . [T]he answers of the tourism workers make interesting and sometimes surprising reading.

Editorial Reviews

"Provides extraordinary insight into the personal views of tourism workers in Barbados. . . . [M]ake[s] interesting and sometimes surprising reading."—The Nation (Barbados), reviewing a previous edition or volume

"The narratives are thought-provoking and Gmelch's comments are insightful. Everyone in the tourist industry should have this book on their shelves."—Anthropological Quarterly, reviewing a previous edition or volume

"Highly readable, conversational prose. . . . [Gmelch] is deserving of the most positive comparisons with Studs Terkel."—Amanda Stronza, Americas, reviewing a previous edition or volume

". . . provides extraordinary insight into the personal views of tourism workers in Barbados. . . [T]he answers of the tourism workers make interesting and sometimes surprising reading."—The Nation (Barbardos)

"The narratives are thought-provoking and Gmelch's comments are insightful. Everyone in the tourist industry should have this book on their shelves."—Anthropological Quarterly

". . . highly readable, conversational prose. . . . [Gmelch] is deserving of the most positive comparisons with Studs Terkel."—Americas

"The narratives are thought-provoking and Gmelch's comments are insightful. Everyone in the tourist industry should have this book on their shelves."—Anthropological Quarterly

"Highly readable, conversational prose. . . . [Gmelch] is deserving of the most positive comparisons with Studs Terkel."—Amanda Stronza, Americas

"Provides extraordinary insight into the personal views of tourism workers in Barbados. . . . [M]ake[s] interesting and sometimes surprising reading."—The Nation (Barbados)

From the Publisher

. . . highly readable, conversational prose. . . . [Gmelch] is deserving of the most positive comparisons with Studs Terkel.

Americas

Highly readable, conversational prose. . . . [Gmelch] is deserving of the most positive comparisons with Studs Terkel.

Amanda Stronzas

Provides extraordinary insight into the personal views of tourism workers in Barbados. . . . [M]ake[s] interesting and sometimes surprising reading.

The Nation (Barbados)

The narratives are thought-provoking and Gmelch's comments are insightful. Everyone in the tourist industry should have this book on their shelves.

Anthropological Quarterly

Highly readable, conversational prose. . . . [Gmelch] is deserving of the most positive comparisons with Studs Terkel.

Americas - Amanda Stronza