Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania 2022 Conference Distinguished Lecture: Social Movement Sightseeing in Melanesia and Beyond

Abstract

Social movements often attract tourists in their wake. The Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania convened a successful annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, less than a year after passionate protests that attracted national attention in the United States. Concerned city boosters, in response, invited tourists to enjoy Portland's vibrant diversity. That same year, Tulsa (Oklahoma) commemorated a 1921 race massacre with a new museum and events that also invited tourist visits. This brings me to consider the consequences of increasing (pre‐Covid‐19) tourists on Tanna (Vanuatu). Island entrepreneurs have packaged Tanna's famed John Frum and Prince Philip movements to entice tourists. Touristic attention and resources, however, can spark dispute within local communities, commoditize bits of culture, and reframe island identity and self‐conception.