- Title:
- At the intersection of tourism, national identity and bad service : the case study of the Fergusons of Farm Road
- Creator:
- Minnis, Edward
- Date Created:
- 2010
- Degree Awarded:
- Master of Arts
- Subjects:
- History African Americans Communication
- Geographical Focus:
- Bahamas
- Supporting Materials:
- n/a
- Description:
- In 1970s Bahamas, a radio serial cum soap opera called The Fergusons of Farm Road that ran for almost 190 episodes over a five year period became a cultural phenomenon. Ironically, it was originally a part of a courtesy campaign designed to teach Bahamians the importance of being friendly to tourists. This thesis is the first significant study of the Fergusons, basing its insights on original episode scripts, interviews and recently discovered archival audio recordings. It situates the show within the historical and cultural context of the ongoing Bahamian tourism courtesy campaigns to better understand how it transcended the limitations of its pedagogical role into the realm of abiding popular culture. The thesis concludes that, while the Fergusons of Farm Road brought an ephemeral improvement to the quality of Bahamian tourism, the program'’s real legacy lies in its function as midwife of an intrinsic vernacular national cultural consciousness and identity.
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- Minnis, Edward. 2010. "At the intersection of tourism, national identity and bad service : the case study of the Fergusons of Farm Road", Department of History, Carleton University
- Link to this page:
- https://cuhistory.github.io/grads/items/hist_115.html
Rights
- Rights:
- Copyright the author, all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.