Human reproduction is increasingly marketised with technologies that alter the traditional parameters of parenthood and childbirth, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the premises of biological ...foundationalism. This conceptual paper explores the sociology of markets by conceptualising the emergence of the reproductive tourism market in China as the outcome of institutional work. Drawing on a historical trajectory that extends from the Maoist era to the Reformation and Post-reformation era, we demonstrate how the reproductive tourism market emerges as a result of a combination of historical, political, socio-cultural forces, epitomising a social process of market development. This study demonstrates how technology and the proliferation of consumer culture have transformed parenthood in China into a new form of conspicuous consumption, and addresses a relatively infrequently studied topic in current marketing literature, the nexus of geneticized markets and consumer culture.
Drawing on symbolic interactionism, this paper explores the nexus between tourism and national identity in China. Unlike current research's focus on the role of inbound heritage tourism sites in ...fostering national identity, this study uses symbolic interactionism to frame an analysis of how Chinese national identity is expressed and affirmed as a phenomenon of experiential consumption through the act of international outbound tourism. A multi-method approach guided the data collection from 28 Chinese tourists in two groups. Data analysis follows a constructivist grounded theory approach that is expressly suited to symbolic interactionism. The findings revealed that international tourism offers a platform on which to affirm and express Chinese national identity through the symbolic interaction between Chinese tourists and the world outside of China.
•Examines Chinese National Identity in tourism•Uses Symbolic Interaction as a theoretical lens•Tourism is a symbolic platform for national identity affirmation.•Tourism allows citizens to affirm their national identity motives.•Introduces a new conceptual perspective to understand tourism and identity
Multicultural interactions bring individuals from varied cultural backgrounds together, leading to situations that either foster or impede social cohesion. This issue is critical as social cohesion ...significantly influences quality-of-life (QOL), which, together with marketing systems, forms the core of macromarketing. Our research contributes by introducing “boundary interweaving” – a novel concept in boundary-making strategy that aims to improve QOL and cultural well-being within marketing systems. Boundary interweaving is a process wherein two or more cultural boundaries interweave together to create a new, unique cultural boundary. Integrating marketing systems and boundary-making theories, this study on ethnic minority marketing shifts from the traditional single-level focus to explore multi-level interactions among market actors. Employing discourse analysis of a documentary and news articles, particularly focusing on food narratives from wet markets and adjacent hawker stalls, we examine interactions between market actors consisting of government, politicians, mass media, sellers, and consumers. Our findings reveal that interactions among market actors exemplify boundary interweaving within the realms of space, language, and foodways. Rather than delineating us and them among different ethnic groups, this paper demonstrates that joint efforts by market actors across macro-, meso-, and microlevels can facilitate the integration, social inclusion and coexistence of diverse ethnic cultures within the marketing system. Boundary interweaving fosters cultural well-being, promotes a sense of belonging and facilitates social cohesion among different ethnic groups. This study highlights the influence of culture on the functioning, growth, and evolution of a marketing system.
•Understanding tourism impact through institutional isomorphism•Massive Chinese outbound tourism leads to homogenization of mobile payment•The role of tourism in facilitating ...homogenization•Introduces a new research direction to understand the impact of tourism on host community
The unprecedented occurrence of COVID-19 highlights the susceptibility of the tourism industry to external threats. From flight cancellations to the closure of hospitality establishments, COVID-19 ...has greatly transformed the industry. Whilst a crisis such as a pandemic is not new in tourism and hospitality, the unique characteristics of COVID-19 have altered the risk perceptions associated with destinations. To date, the tourism risk literature has predominantly focused on typology of risks, at the expense of examining the process of how risk perceptions are formed. Following a social constructivist epistemological position, this conceptual paper proposes an integrative model that unpacks the underlying psychological process of risk perceptions and demonstrates how the framing process influences the safety perceptions and moulds the travel image of a destination in the COVID-19 context. The paper proposes several suggestions for future studies to consider when testing the conceptual model.
