David Harrison: a career in the anthropology of tourism and the sociology of development

Abstract

This paper analyses the career of the sociologist/social anthropologist of tourism David Harrison. An important figure in tourism studies across disciplinary boundaries and regional specialisation, Harrison went from academic appointments in Britain to the University of the South Pacific in Fiji and back to Britain again, conducting field studies in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and Asia and the Pacific. He engaged in and anticipated theoretical debates in the anthropology of tourism and the sociology of development, publishing key books, articles, and book chapters. In this paper, Harrison discusses the main theoretical position he came to take up. This entailed a political economy position that simultaneously considered the interaction of world economic and political systems with local systems of behaviour and meaning, yet based on empirical first-hand research, all with a kind of fundamental skepticism of foregone conclusions offered by pre-approved orthodox theories. The paper provides detailed information on Harrison's early life and unconventional path to the profession, his theoretical influences and directions, and his career trajectory.