1st Edition
A Cosmopolitan Journey? Difference, Distinction and Identity Work in Gap Year Travel
By Helene Snee
Copyright 2014
232 Pages
by
Routledge
230 Pages
by
Routledge
230 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Does travel broaden the mind? This book explores this question through an innovative sociological study of gap year travel. Taking a year out overseas between school and university is an increasingly legitimate practice for young people in the UK. But what do young people get out of gap years? A wide range of 'official' sources acknowledge gap years as a way of becoming a global citizen and more... Read more
Contents: Introduction; Cultural cosmopolitanism and gap year debates; Theorising good taste and worthwhile experiences in gap year travel; Researching gap year narratives; Encountering difference: gap year narratives of people and places; A traveller not a tourist: the value of cosmopolitan experiences; Gap year identity work: doing something ’worthwhile’; Conclusion; Appendix; References; Index.
Biography
Helene Snee, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
’This is a fascinating account of gap year travel. It draws on rich empirical data to make important contributions to debates about cosmopolitanism, cultural value and identity work. It has a strong inter-disciplinary focus, and will appeal to sociologists, educationalists and geographers working in this area.’ Rachel Brooks, University of Surrey, UK ’In A Cosmopolitan Journey? Helene Snee provides an impressive and scholarly deconstruction of the cultural significance of the all too easily mocked figure of the ’gap yah’ student. Drawing on theories of cosmopolitanism and making imaginative and innovative use of online data from gappers’ blogs, Snee deftly demonstrates why we should instead take the gap year seriously.’ Sue Heath, University of Manchester, UK
