Both 'One' and 'Other': Environmental Cosmopolitanism and the Politics of Hybridity in Costa Rica

Abstract

Cosmopolitans are frequently characterized as living and perceiving the world and their environment from a distance. Drawing on ethnographic work among a small group of Western migrants in Costa Rica, we complicate this portrayal in a number of ways. First, we demonstrate that these people think in similar kinds of ways as social theorists: they too are worried about living at a distance from place and are seeking what is, in their way of reckoning, a more engaged relationship with their surroundings. Second, however, we explore the social context and corollaries of these migrants' attempts to bring together a putatively "modern/cosmopolitan" way of relating to place and a "traditional/place-based" way of relating to surroundings. Specifically, we demonstrate how migrant claims to transcend the differences between "tradition" and "modernity" create new forms of social exclusion as they, both literally and figuratively, come to claim the place of "the other."

Racial hierarchies and contradictory moral regimes in lifestyle destinations: Older, Western residents in Ubud, Bali

“…These imaginaries, I suggest, feed into the lifestyle choices of foreign residents in Ubud today. Many, if not all, foreign residents seek to build a more authentic relationship with place and nature (Johnson and Clisby, 2008: 77) by living in the midst of these iconic fields. Understandings of the Balinese are informed by a “mark of the plural” (Memmi, 1974: 129).…”

“…Collins, 2001: 5). At the same time, these young people defy expectations of “who and what qualifies as ‘traditional’” (Johnson and Clisby, 2008: 65). Young, single Balinese people, for example, may be present in traditional family compounds in neighborhoods that foreign residents choose to live in.…”

Lifestyle Migration to Bocas del Toro, Panama: Exploring Migration Strategies and Introducing Local Implications of the Search for Paradise

“…Korpela 2010). Although foreigners came to Bocas with the intention of leading a simpler, easier lifestyle, idealized as being similar to that of the locals (Johnson and Clisby 2008, McCarthy 2008, Gosnell and Abrams 2009, the culturally engrained 'cosmopolitanism' or post-modern commodification of the local, combined with a Western sense of entitlement produced a patronizing attitude and locals were perceived as being, at times, needy, ignorant, or lazy.…”

“…Ironically, often times I would also hear the same foreigners express concern about boatrelated theft, the lack of adequate infrastructure, access to comfort goods, and 'good' customer service. In this sense, the relative privilege of deciding where to move, enjoyed by lifestyle migrants, affects every day politics of place in Bocas del Toro, and ultimately influences local outcomes as a result of the differences between local realities and the social construction of Bocas as paradise (Johnson andClisby 2008, Benson 2012).…”

“…Lifestyle migration constitutes one such migratory phenomenon and, in Latin America, is typically characterized by the international flow of relatively affluent people from the United States and Canada, searching for so called 'lifestyle' destinations in Central and South America, with warm climates, cheaper costs of living, and perceived higher quality of life (Spalding 2011, Benson andO'Reilly 2009b). Recent studies show that these movements are becoming increasingly common in rural and environmentally sensitive areas of Latin America such as coastal and mountain communities within Mexico (MPI, 2006, Sunil, Rojas, andBradley 2007), Costa Rica (Johnson and Clisby 2008, Frohlick 2009, Janoschka 2009, Barrantes-Reynolds 2011, and Panama (MPI 2006, McWatters 2008, Jackiewicz and Craine 2010, Spalding 2011. Recognizing the economic growth potential of this phenomenon, the Panamanian government has adopted a series of policies to attract foreign residents and associated investments in real estate and foreigner-based businesses 1 .…”