Footprints in Paradise

Social and political life on small subtropical islands is frequently shaped by the economic imperative of sustainable tourism development. In Okinawa, "ecotourism" promises to provide employment for a dwindling population of rural youth while preserving the natural environment and bolstering regional pride. In this dissertation, I consider how new subjectivities are produced when host communities come to see themselves through the lens of the visiting tourist. I further explore how Okinawans' sense of place and identity are transformed as their language, landscapes, and wildlife are reconstituted as "cherishable," yet vulnerable resources.