"Managed evils" of hedonistic tourism in the Maldives: Islamic social representations and their mediation of local social exchange

Abstract

This paper explores resident attitudes toward tourism development in the Maldives. Findings from 50 semi-structured interviews and 200 household surveys collected in two island communities provide insights into the reconciliation of deeply held Islamic social representations with proximate hedonistic tourism. In the less tourism-affiliated island, religious affinity and social exchange were central as to how residents viewed tourism as an ‘evil’ from which their community should be insulated. In the more tourism-affiliated case, social exchange and social representations influenced how tourism is rationalised as a ‘managed evil’.