何为“表演”？——西方旅游表演转向理论溯源、内涵解析及启示

What is “Performance”? The Theoretical Origin, Connotations, and Inspirations of the Performance Turn in Western Tourism Studies

自20世纪90年代起,西方主流旅游研究中呈现出"表演转向"。历经近30年的发展,这一转向至今仍方兴未艾。"performance"(表演)作为一个具有强有力启发意义的隐喻,为西方旅游体验研究的深入推进提供了一条新路径。但国内学者对这一转向关注甚少,甚至对"表演"的理解还停留在通俗层面上。造成这种现状的根本原因在于英文"performance"一词与中文对应词"表演"在各自语言体系中存在着较大的含义差别。理解英文世界中"表演"隐喻的内涵,还需追根溯源,向西方旅游表演转向的理论基础寻求答案。文章对performance一词进行词源考察,探究不同语言环境中"表演"的含义及人文社科学术领域中"表演"的内涵,并且对西方旅游研究中表演转向的理论基础及发展历程进行了梳理,进而提炼出西方旅游表演转向的核心特点。文章最后指出西方旅游表演转向对未来旅游体验研究所给予的启示:第一,国内学界应该寻找一个替代性词语来表达performance在中文语境中部分失效的含义,以弥合语言体系转换所造成的裂隙。第二,表演转向中的温和模式和激进模式并不是替代关系,旅游体验研究不必在二者中选择其一作为立场。第三,旅游体验研究应面向过程,而不是结果。第四,旅游体验研究应面向关系,而不是元素。第五,旅游体验研究方法需要新的突破和尝试。

A"performance turn"has been observed in Western mainstream tourism research since the1990 s.After nearly 30 years of development,this shift remains ascendant.As a powerfully illuminating metaphor,the study of"performance"provides a new direction for the further exploration of tourism experiences in Western tourism studies.However,Chinese scholars have paid little attention to this change and their understanding of performance remains superficial.To understand the meaning of performance as a metaphor in the English language,it is necessary to trace its origin and explore the theoretical basis of Western tourism performance.This paper examines the etymology of performance to understand its different meanings in different language environments and its connotations in the field of humanities and social sciences.The theoretical basis and development history of performance turn in Western tourism studies was combed systematically to summarize its core characteristics.First,the meanings of the English word"performance"and its corresponding Chinese word"表演"in their respective language systems were examined.The differences between the two words were compared to explain the connotation of performance in Western tourism performance.This study found that performance has rich meanings in the English language.However,the corresponding Chinese expression"表演"cannot completely match these meanings,which means that the metaphor of performance in the English context partially fails in the Chinese context.Second,the theoretical basis,the development of its context,and the core perspective of the performance turn were explored.The performance turn was found to be primarily based on Goffman’s dramaturgical theory,the idea of embodiment,the theory of performativity,and nonrepresentational theory.The tourism literature discussing this performance turn can be divided into moderate and radical modes.The moderate mode draws its inspiration from Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical theory,while the radical mode goes a step beyond Goffman,where performance is deployed as a metaphor emphasizing embodiment,multi-sensory behavioral performance,and the dynamic process of becoming.Third,five core characteristics of the performance turn in tourism studies were identified after reviewing the existing literature.In the first core characteristic,the framework of dramaturgical theory was used to analyze tourist phenomena;i.e.,attractions or destinations are considered as stages and tourists are the stage performers.In the second,the performance turn rejects the binary logic of"host-guest,""tourist-destination,"and"production-consumption,"and instead advocates the systematic and dynamic analysis of tourism.In the third,the performance turn highlights embodiment experiences,stressing that tourists have emotional and multisensory experiences in tourism places.In the fourth,the performance turn views tourism as a complicated network involving human and nonhuman agencies that all play important roles in the constant becoming of tourist experiences.In the fifth,the performance turn breaks through the limitations of symbols and texts where autoethnography,network ethnography,grounded theory,and other qualitative research methods are adopted to explore tourist experiences.Finally,this paper proposes that the Chinese academic community should look for an alternative Chinese term to reveal the rich meanings of performance as a metaphor.The moderate and radical modes in the performance turn should not be considered as alternative relationships;i.e.,research on tourist experiences does not have to be positioned as one or the other.In addition,research on tourist experiences should be process-oriented and not result-oriented.In particular,research should be oriented toward relationships and not elements of tourist experiences.New attempts and breakthroughs in research methods are also needed.