atig.americananthro.orgATIG – Anthropology of Tourism Interest Group

ATIG Anthropology of Tourism Interest Group Menu Primary Menu Board Current Board Past Boards Honorary Board Members Board Position Descriptions Book and Paper Prizes Book Prizes Student Paper Award Read the Blog See All Blog Posts Special Theme: Tourism in Times of Pandemic News ATIG News AAA Annual Meeting ATIG business CFP (Call for Papers) Resources Films for Teaching Tourism Studies Listservs Find Us ATIG on Facebook The Anthropology of Tourism Interest Group (ATIG) is an international network for collaboration and exchange of ideas within the American Anthropological Association (AAA) . Interested scholars may join the AAA and ATIG at the same time. This website provides original content , along with information about special ATIG programs like our annual book prizes . Scroll down to read original web content, or use the menu above to find what you need. Posted on February 15, 2024 Author webeditor Let’s CHAT about a Transition for ATIG Michael A. Di Giovine, Convenor In line with this past year’s conference theme of transitions, the AAA has invited ATIG to transition from an interest group to a section. This has been a longtime desire of our organization; we originally conceived of ourselves as a section in 2012, but that year the AAA placed a moratorium on new section creation as the association researched and reorganized the system. It was only last year that the AAA completed this task. We therefore were given IG status instead, but continued to operate as if we were a section, and, over 10 years later, continue to be viable—with one of the largest and most active IG memberships. Indeed, at our founding we had an impressive 600 members; after dips in member numbers across the AAA before and during COVID, we currently count nearly 700 members. We Need You! In order to make this transition happen, you must first tell us that you support this change and will become a member once the new section is officially founded. We need 225 dues-paying members, so please take 30 seconds to pledge your support here . Note: While we hope (and expect) that you will become a dues-paying member next year, signing this petition will not obligate you to join. It is just a sign of support. You also do not have to be a AAA member at this time to sign the petition. Transitioning our Name and Focus ATIG Business Meeting, Toronto 2023. Photo by Kathleen Adams. As we transition into a section, we are taking the opportunity—supported by a majority of the membership who responded to a poll sent out last spring and who attended the business meeting in Toronto—to also transition slightly in focus. In addition to being the preeminent organization at the AAA for critical tourism studies, we will also explicitly incorporate AAA membership who works on critical heritage studies. The AAA has a demonstrated need for a section that can bring together experts from all four fields who work on heritage; a great many of our ATIG members would be included in this. We don’t take this change lightly. We were founded in part to elevate and solidify the anthropology of tourism and we recognize that some current members do not work on heritage. However, as I discuss below, there are many reasons why the board and membership decided on this change. To acknowledge the distinctiveness of these two fields, as well as our mission to bring together top experts in both fields, our proposed new name will be the Council on Heritage and the Anthropology of Tourism (CHAT). Why take this leap to a section? 1. It is line with our activities and organizational structure ATIG has operated since our founding as if we were a section. We have always had a board (formed through independent elections), maintained a high quality website (originally independently hosted but now hosted by the AAA), and sponsored (with financial help of many sections over the years) memorable events such as a large celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first tourism panel in 1974, a hugely popular cannabis tours in Denver, and numerous museum and tourist site visits with curators, tourism officials and cultural resource managers. Every year we submit a summary of activities to the Section Committee, who expect a page or two report; ours are consistently about 10 pages long! It is because of our rich and sustained activity, and our large member body, that the Section Assembly invited us to be the first IG in a decade to apply for section status—presumably with some others to follow. 2. We would get permanent representation at the AAA in the Section Council Interest groups, unlike sections, are intended to be temporary, popping up for 3-year periods to provide AAA members an institutional and organized venue to explore pressing issues of the time. They are often, but not always, created as arms of a particular section. They do not collect dues or have bank accounts, cannot host their own conferences, or publish a journal. Nevertheless, IGs are requested to submit a short annual report for section review —but we are not invited to attend Section Assembly meetings. Owing to its temporary nature, IGs also must formally submit a written request (with documentation) to renew our status every three years. We have already successfully petitioned for renewal three times since our founding. Sections, by contrast, are legal entities with strong oversight from the AAA (and vetted by association attorneys). They are intended to be permanent; they must maintain a paying membership of at least 225 people, collect dues, carry an account, and have an operating budget. Because of this permanence, they are a part of the AAA organization and have representation in the section council, which IGs do not. They also must have a clear organizational structure; unlike IGs, which technically need only a Convenor, sections must have a board that is elected during AAA annual elections, including a treasurer. Failure to maintain the minimum number of members, or remain active, is a fraught legal issue and the moratorium was instated to review those sections that were not as viable. It took 10 years for the AAA to sort this out. 3. We can raise funds for meaningful initiatives Sections must charge a fee for membership and carry an account. These funds are used for member-wide initiatives—from receptions and networking events at the AAA meetings, to offering monetary awards, organizing conferences, or creating a journal. For example, there is really no journal focusing explicitly on the Anthropology of Tourism, though there are several high-quality journals focused on the culture of tourism, and, of course, the venerable interdisciplinary Annals of Tourism Research was founded by an anthropologist! Charging dues for these exciting opportunities is, of course, a double-edged sword, as we likely will see some attrition in member numbers now that a cost is imposed. Yet members discussing this issue at our business meeting in Toronto also suggested that this also creates a buy in” with greater numbers of members willing to participate to get the most out of their contribution. Nevertheless, we intend to keep the cost at a minimum, support students with reduced pricing, and provide incentives for membership such as scholarships (travel grants?) and monetary prizes. In addition, we will be able to collect special donations and endowments—something that several members requested a decade ago, but which is not possible for an interest group. We will specifically fundraise for prizes/grants—especially to support students and those with precarious employment. 4. We can help promote you and your work in more powerful ways A particular interest of ours is to utilize our new section status to leverage our members’ diverse tourism and/or heritage related expertise. This includes enhancing our social media and online presence, but also exploring the best ways to network (a joint conference with other sections?) and promote our members’ research (a peer-reviewed...