관광경험 연구의 ‘신체성’ 탐구를 위한 현상학의 가능성

Abstract

This paper aims to review the contributions and issues of phenomenological research that have so far emerged in tourism research and to explore what opportunities and potentials phenomenology as a philosophical and theoretical framework could provide to tourism experience research. Particularly when describing the travel experience projected and constructed through the embodiment of people with disabilities, the body-centered philosophy illustrated in Merleau-Ponty's <Phénomenologie de la Perception> is an epistemological paradigm with a more subjective perspective. Findings revealed that, as opposed to studies that formed discourse and were devoted to European phenomenological philosophy or epistemology, the majority of phenomenological studies in tourism literature use phenomenological methods that newly appeared in combination with American pragmatism. In order to develop the theory and discourse of the tourism experience and ensure proper application of the methodology, it is necessary to understand the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of phenomenology. The phenomenology and theory of Merleau-Ponty could be a useful substitute for describing and approaching the body and subjectivity of people with disabilities who view life and travel from a different angle. Despite the limitations of the alternatives discussed in this study, it is anticipated that a wide range of in-depth discourses and issues will emerge as a theoretical framework for investigating the significance of the physicality of women with disabilities in the travel experience and how it will be reflected in the ensuing research.