Drifting Home: The Quests of Chinese Tourist-Migrants in Tibet

Abstract

There are heated discussions in tourism studies literature regarding the definition of “home.” This longitudinal ethnography of Chinese tourist-migrants in Tibet finds home to be an ongoing introspective building over time rather than a static state, and it contends that the concept of “home” and “away” should be conceived as different stages and forms in individual life quests for home. Challenging conventional perceptions of home and tourism, the article offers theoretical insights for studies of mobile populations and conceptualizations of home and away based on the author’s non-consecutive fieldwork in Tibet of more than 16 months during a 16-year period. This research also contributes to the field of home studies in tourism mobilities and provides fresh insights into mobility in China’s current society. The search for home suggests new metaphors for understanding the modern urban life and the current mobile society.