Understanding the Tourist Gaze in John Urry's Sociological Theory

Abstract

Tourism as a mass phenomenon began to be actively studied by sociologists in the second half of the 20th century. A special place among the sociological approaches to this phenomenon of the specified historical period is occupied by the concept of tourism by British researcher John Urry, one of the most prominent representatives of modern sociological theory. The scientist considers tourism in the context of social and economic changes taking place in Western societies after the end of World War II: significant economic growth, very high rates of urbanization, increased consumption, improved transport infrastructure, transformation of social attitudes. The main work, which outlines the key provisions of the concept of the tourist gaze, is the publication "The Tourist Gaze". Subsequently, this book has been updated twice, taking into account new social trends, phenomena and processes. The author explores the concept of tourism by J. Urri using general scientific methods of cognition, as well as genetic, comparative historical and other methods that reveal the specifics of the scientist's approach. The author's special contribution to the research of the topic lies in the fact that the theoretical and methodological foundations of John Urry's concept of tourism were identified, its specificity and the evolution of the scientist's views were demonstrated. The article examines the key elements of this theory, reveals its heuristic potential, and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the British sociologist's research approach. Despite the criticism presented, the approach developed by John Urry, his conceptual apparatus and analytical tools indicate the high importance of his works for modern sociological theory. The concept of the tourist view remains relevant, which is confirmed, in particular, by the presence of followers who continue to make a significant contribution to the expansion and deepening of the theoretical and empirical analysis of tourism, based on the ideas proposed by Urri.