Beaded heritage: Gender in South African tourism and national memory.

This thesis addresses the impact of the tourism industry on African women in post-apartheid South Africa. The presentation of South Africa's historical narrative to the international community impacts both national memory and the status of African women in the country. Three distinct aspects of the tourism industry are addressed---historical tourism, eco- or nature tourism, and development or cultural tourism. The representation of women in national monuments and museums reflects the gender inequities existent in South African society, from the apartheid-era to contemporary times. Eco-tourism places African women and men alongside the animals and natural landscape of safaris and nature reserves. Historically ingrained racism and gender disparities are emphasized through the juxtaposition of so-called Western "modernity" and African "traditionalism." Development through tourism is seen as a solution to socio-economic issues in democratic South Africa, though proposed plans by the state and accompanying tourist expectation may not fully empower African women.