Colonial Hangovers at Club Med: Accommodating Independence in the Era of Decolonization

This presentation explores how decolonization shaped relationships between local communities and Europeans travelers at beachside resorts in newly sovereign African and Caribbean nations during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. In the decades that followed political independence, many new nations saw an explosion of tourist infrastructure, with a particular focus on waterfront accommodations for leisure travelers. Some newly constructed hotels, I argue, shone as beacons of postcolonial development and nation-making. In other instances, the burgeoning resort culture that accompanied this new construction only further entrenched the divide between the West and the rest. By ensconcing white travelers within gated compounds along the water, these configurations eliminated the possibility of any meaningful engagement with local communities. Club Med, in particular, became the object of local criticism in a number of postcolonial communities, where residents accused the resort chain of perpetuating colonial-era racism and economic dependence. Beachside tourist accommodations in former colonies thus found themselves at a crossroads between newly attained political sovereignty and ongoing entanglements with the former colonizer. Thanks in part to their location on the waterfront, these spaces occupied a liminal zone in the process of negotiating political, economic, and cultural sovereignty. They can thus serve as a useful window into the hopes and disappointments of the decolonization moment and help us begin to unpack some of the tenacious imperial structures, mindsets, and spatial arrangements that still shape our world today.