Women, Fishermen, and Community-based Tourism at Djoudj Bird National Park, Senegal: an Application Of the Actor–structure Livelihood Framework

Abstract

While Community-based tourism (CBT) has delivered on economic opportunities in some cases, researchers have questioned the viability of its impacts, often citing inequitable distribution of benefits as a critical debilitating factor. CBT is often based on normative principles that assume all actors have equal aspirations, power, voice, and access to resources. Yet, tourism activities are embedded in the same uneven social structures that envelope and define local livelihoods. In this qualitative case study of a fishing community outside of Djoudj National Bird Park in Senegal, we analyze the way a CBT project fits within women’s and fishermen’s livelihood strategies, focusing on the social and cultural norms structuring their participation in tourism. We apply the actor-structure livelihood framework to unveil the interactions between the norms embedded in the community-level social structure (i.e. social and cultural norms) and individuals’ agency as they seek out meaningful livelihood opportunities in CBT. The results of our study show that social norms, implicit biases, and cultural identities associated with women and Black Moorish fishermen, normalize their nonparticipation in certain positions within the CBT project. Through this analysis, we highlight norms shaping other livelihood activities and how they spill into the CBT sphere. We situate our findings within the broader scholarly discussion on CBT as a tool that encourages the equitable distribution of benefits and empowerment of local communities. We also discuss livelihood perspectives, specifically actor-structure framework, as a viable approach to explore failures, challenges, and opportunities of tourism as a community development tool.