Wolves as signs of McDonaldization in Northern Manitoba
Date
2024-09-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Antud doktoritöös uurin huntide kasutamist turismimajanduse esindamisel ja brändimisel Thompsoni linnas, mis on väike omavalitsusüksus Kanada Manitoba provintsi põhjapiirkonnas. Töös tuginen zoosemiootilisele ja sotsioloogilisele teooriale, et uurida, kuidas hunte meedias esindatakse ja võrreldakse seda nende tegeliku agentsuse ja kehaehitusega ning kuidas selliseid kujutisi kasutatakse majandusarengu edendamiseks ja toetamiseks. Keskendun eriti sellele, kuidas inimeste, huntide ja teiste loomade vaheliste suhetega seotud tundeid ja emotsioone kasutatakse selleks, et kogukondlikkuse tunnet suunata tarbekaupadele, teenustele ja institutsioonidele. Sellist võtet kasutatakse selleks, et kaupu, teenuseid ja institutsioone brändida või “lummata”, nagu George Ritzer seda protsessi nimetab. Uurin seda nähtust esmalt teoreetilise raamistiku loomise kaudu, mis arvestab seda brändimist ja arengut, samuti kogukonna emotsioone ja loomade kogemusi. Seejärel kasutan loodud teooriat 50 teemakohase ajaleheartikli analüüsimiseks ja uurimise suunamiseks. Leian, et emotsioone huntide suhtes ja suhteid nende loomadega püüti kasutada turismimajanduse arendamise brändimiseks, kuid see on osutunud keeruliseks kohalike teadmiste tõttu huntidest ja huntide sobimatuse tõttu turismimajandusse.
This thesis studies the use of wolves to represent and brand a tourist economy in the city of Thompson, a small municipality in the Northern region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It draws from zoosemiotic and sociological theory to examine how wolves are represented in consumer media in comparison to their actual agency and bodily structures, and how such representations are used to promote and encourage economic development. I take a specific interesting in how feelings and emotions associated with bonds between humans, wolves, and other animals are used to associate these feeling of community towards consumer goods, services, and institutions to brand them, or to ‘enchant’ them as George Ritzer refers to the process. I study this phenomenon first by creating a theoretical framework that accounts for this branding and development, as well as community emotions and animal experiences. I then use this theory to analyze and guide the study of 50 newspaper articles on the topic. I find that the development efforts tried to use emotions and messages of bonding with wolves as a way to brand the development of a tourist economy, however this has proven difficult due to local knowledge of wolves as well as wolves being difficult to fit into the tourist economy itself.
This thesis studies the use of wolves to represent and brand a tourist economy in the city of Thompson, a small municipality in the Northern region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It draws from zoosemiotic and sociological theory to examine how wolves are represented in consumer media in comparison to their actual agency and bodily structures, and how such representations are used to promote and encourage economic development. I take a specific interesting in how feelings and emotions associated with bonds between humans, wolves, and other animals are used to associate these feeling of community towards consumer goods, services, and institutions to brand them, or to ‘enchant’ them as George Ritzer refers to the process. I study this phenomenon first by creating a theoretical framework that accounts for this branding and development, as well as community emotions and animal experiences. I then use this theory to analyze and guide the study of 50 newspaper articles on the topic. I find that the development efforts tried to use emotions and messages of bonding with wolves as a way to brand the development of a tourist economy, however this has proven difficult due to local knowledge of wolves as well as wolves being difficult to fit into the tourist economy itself.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei siasalda publikatsioone