Dr Rosa Codina is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Events at Oxford Brookes University, UK where she conducts research into the socio-political aspects of tourism and events, with a particular focus on developing nations.

Rosa was awarded a PhD in Tourism from Oxford Brookes University in 2018. HerPhD dissertation entitled “The role of tourism in local power relations: A case study of Pisac, Peru” examined the impacts of tourism development on the social relations and power dynamics of the Andean rural town of Pisac, Peru. The thesis presented a critical analysis of the interactions between the social actors involved in tourism in Pisac and used ethnographic- based methods as a basis to understand the extent to which tourism may influence local power relations at a community level.

The research revealed a complex interplay of power relations concerning Indigenous and non-Indigenous actors, both male and female. Tourism was found to simultaneously enhance and restrict opportunities for actors to hold and exercise power. Empowerment, as a state of being, was not displayed as a single point or stage to be reached, but rather as a continuum or process. Findings indicated that tourism naturally served to influence the pattern of fluctuations in power across actors in the town and surrounding area. Importantly,it highlighted how examining local actors’ interactions can illuminate more nuancedprocesses, relations and mechanisms which are of critical relevance to host societies and destinations. To understand and interpret these shifts and exchanges of power, the research suggested that future studies should account for locality, temporality and cultural factors; only when these three elements are considered alongside one another can a representative picture of power relations emerge.

Rosa’s main research interests mainly focus on the anthropology of tourism andsocio-political dynamics of host communities. In particular, Rosa’s future research agenda is expected to develop new understandings of the socio-cultural and political implications of tourism for host communities in developing countries and Latin America. Other research interests include gender issues in tourism, women entrepreneurship, Indigenous tourism, as well as the role of tourism and festivals in developing and sustaining local identities.