Postcolonial Nations, Islands, and Tourism

Reviews / Votes

The book is an enjoyable, richly developed monograph which uses critical theory "to return a critical gaze on the normative and ideal island space." ... To rethink the island begs the question of what replaces it, locating island and archipelagic studies squarely in the unique, interdisciplinary position to confront some of the most pressing challenges of our time. The stakes are high with the compounded problems of climate change, limits to growth, geopolitical tensions over immigration and refugees, the rise in nationalism, etc. Abandoning such island myths and mentalities is imperative; Kapstein proves why it is necessary and proper to so argue forcefully. * Island Studies Journal * In this important and beautifully-written book, Helen Kapstein brings together Robinson Crusoe and Robben Island Museum, metaphorical and material spaces, the aesthetics of reading and the economics of tourism. Conceptually challenging and eminently readable, Postcolonial Nations, Islands, and Tourism transforms our view of all its component terms. -- Dohra Ahmad, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of English, St John's University, USA Islands have boundaries that are clear yet contestable: they enable and counter discourses of national identity, history, and memory. In Postcolonial Nations, Islands, and Tourism, Helen Kapstein offers a deft and engaging assessment of their role as metaphor, metonym, and material space in a range of postcolonial (and postimperial) literary texts and cultural objects. This is an original and important study. -- Andrew van der Vlies, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English, Queen Mary University of London Postcolonial Nations, Islands, and Tourism is an insistently insightful book that crosses disciplines and geographies with impressive ease. Helen Kapstein brings postcolonial studies, the environmental humanities, and tourist studies into dynamic conversation. She is a wonderful reader of material and imaginative islands and an eloquent witness to the costs and consequences of insular thinking. -- Rob Nixon, Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Family Professor in the Humanities and the Environment, Princeton University This is a splendid contribution to postcolonial studies in so many ways. It not only provides cogent analyses of important texts in the field, but also comes to terms with the complex formations and interrelations of islands and states. It provides a vital comparative and geographic sense of postcolonial writing. Highly recommended. -- Peter Hitchcock, Professor of English, The Graduate Center, City University of New York