Orientalism reimagined: a semantic network analysis of slum tour reviews

In the last two decades, slum tourism in the Global South has witnessed remarkable growth, evolving into a highly professionalized industry. This trend underscores shifting dynamics between the Global North and South in the contemporary world. Adopting Edward Said’s Orientalism as our theoretical framework, we analyze the intricacies of slum tourism within the broader context of globalization. Our semantic network analysis of 5749 TripAdvisor reviews of slum tours in Cape Town, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Manila, and Nairobi reveals the persistent tradition of “othering” the Global South in today’s supposedly civilized world. We argue that globalization’s momentum has introduced novel elements to the classical paradigm of Orientalism. Fueled by neoliberal consumption patterns, poverty and misery in the impoverished South are repackaged as “culture” and “diversity,” perpetuating the Orientalist gaze in a seemingly benign and “respectable” manner that inadvertently obscures the structural inequalities behind poverty. Nonetheless, dissenting voices persist, reshaping the post-Orientalist discourse. Through our analysis, we aim to uncover the complexities of power, identity, and resistance, offering insights into the intricate dynamics of postcolonial interactions in our globalized era.