Researching coloniality: A reflection on identity

Abstract

The coloniality of power in tourism has been a topic of discussion among researchers in the field since the late 1970s. However, a general lack of narratives that underpin the experiences of critical scholars, and the challenges and limitations of researching power itself, still prevails. This paper narrativises my reflections as an early-career, female, Asian tourism scholar who explored the colonial and neo-colonial structures of power in Southeast Asian tourism knowledge production and dissemination. The discussions in this paper pave the way for critical tourism researchers to ponder on the deeper aspects of identity that has been socialised in historical and political processes. The discussion also presents the limitations and challenges researchers encounter in the agenda of academic decolonisation.