TY - JOUR
T1 - From Prison Islands to Island Paradises
T2 - Are Violent Histories Being Overwritten with Nature-Based Tourism Imaginaries?
AU - Astudillo, Fernando J.
AU - Hunt, Carter A.
AU - Aizpurúa, Ilean Isaza
AU - Carvajal-Contreras, Diana Rocio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Islands have often been used to exile political prisoners, migrants, criminals, mentally ill individuals, and others deemed unworthy. Yet the remoteness that made islands ideal prison sites is today exploited to develop nature-based ecotourism (NBET). Given the ‘prison to paradise’ phenomenon is previously undocumented in the literature, this paper explores three descriptive cases in the Global South: Ecuador (Galápagos Islands), Panamá (Coiba Island), and Colombia (Gorgona Island). This analysis identifies how the timelines of prison activities and the manifestations of tourism are influenced by contextual factors that determine whether carceral heritage is being preserved or overwritten in each context. The paper also highlights further opportunities to elaborate on this nascent theory and emphasise specific roles for archaeologists in that future research agenda. This work will appeal to scholars interested in dark heritage, prison tourism, island studies, and protected area managers involved with heritage preservation around former prison sites.
AB - Islands have often been used to exile political prisoners, migrants, criminals, mentally ill individuals, and others deemed unworthy. Yet the remoteness that made islands ideal prison sites is today exploited to develop nature-based ecotourism (NBET). Given the ‘prison to paradise’ phenomenon is previously undocumented in the literature, this paper explores three descriptive cases in the Global South: Ecuador (Galápagos Islands), Panamá (Coiba Island), and Colombia (Gorgona Island). This analysis identifies how the timelines of prison activities and the manifestations of tourism are influenced by contextual factors that determine whether carceral heritage is being preserved or overwritten in each context. The paper also highlights further opportunities to elaborate on this nascent theory and emphasise specific roles for archaeologists in that future research agenda. This work will appeal to scholars interested in dark heritage, prison tourism, island studies, and protected area managers involved with heritage preservation around former prison sites.
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U2 - 10.1080/13505033.2024.2409132
DO - 10.1080/13505033.2024.2409132
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85209676716
SN - 1350-5033
VL - 26
SP - 243
EP - 265
JO - Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites
JF - Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites
IS - 2-3
ER -