A realist analysis of civilised tourism in China: A social structural and agential perspective

Abstract

This study investigates structural and agential mechanisms that bring about the value-informed practices in civilised tourism in China. It discovers that positional powers and the present social movement of civilised tourism development co-create a condition for agencies to suffice - triggering psychological and social causes engineered by agents’ capabilities of recognising their concerns, reflexive and evaluative reasoning, forging of identity, moral engagement, and learning. The transition from being a moral self to a civilised Chinese tourist to one who represents China is highlighted. The study concludes: the good level of gelness between sampled actors and the ideation of civilised tourism, and identified variations in socio-cultural interactions suggest a morphogenesis of contingent complementarity (i.e. transforming the system). Practical implications are discussed.

Keywords

• China
• Civilised tourism
• Ethicality
• Mechanism
• Realist social theory