Representations of Interconnectedness: A Cosmopolitan Framework for Analyzing Travel Journalism

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to introduce and operationalize the sociological concept of cosmopolitanism as an overarching framework for research on travel journalism. This framework places the analysis of travel journalism in the emerging research field of cosmopolitan media studies and in the wider context of transcultural journalism studies. Moreover, it offers fruitful ideas for further empirical analysis and contains normative elements that point to the desirable potential of the genre. The chapter begins by outlining the role of journalism as both a potentially globalizing actor and a nation builder. The sociological concept of cosmopolitanism is then introduced, in order to enhance the theoretical debate on the relation between globalizing and nationalizing notions, and to reflect on functions of journalism that go beyond the formation of political public spheres. After sketching the discrete dimensions of the approach and outlining existing research on media and cosmopolitanism, I argue that travel journalism is a valuable object of study to complement conceptual and empirical work on media and cosmopolitanism. Research on media and cosmopolitanism has thus far been dominated by a pity and compassion paradigm and overtly focused on disaster and crises reporting (e.g. Chouliaraki, 2006; Cottle, 2009a). Taking travel journalism into account widens the perspective; everyday stories about the world are included and the research potential of the cosmopolitan approach is exploited more fully.KeywordsPublic SphereNational OutlookSociological ConceptEmerge Research FieldFeature StoryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.