Research on the Evolution of the Governance Logic of Ethnic-Minority Villages from the Perspective of Tourism Development—A Case Study of Longjing Village, Guizhou Province

Abstract

The governance of ethnic communities is an important part of the national governance system. The development of tourism has changed the social basis of traditional ethnic-minority villages and has consequently effected a change in village community governance logic. Using Longjing Village as an example, this paper analyzes its governance logic from the perspective of diachronic and synchronic dimensions through non-participatory observation and in-depth interviews. The results show evolution processes from diachronic development, which involves the change of the governance subject, the material environment, and the minority culture; and synchronic development, which involves the process of government leading, market embedding, conscious resident participation, active tourist integration, etc. The study found that tourism development promoted reconstruction of the order of ethnic villages, generated local capital through minority culture, and provided an industrial basis for the governance of ethnic-minority villages. An effective way to realize the governance of ethnic-minority villages is by the means of distributing benefit reasonably between stakeholders, rationally constructing village public space, and shaping villages’ collective memory and cultural identity in tourist destinations.