ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the continuous process of self-discovery that engages community attention in the newly created touristic spaces that carry contested symbolic and political representation for various tribes. The chapter is divided into five parts. The first part describes the ethnographic context with special reference to the location, history and culture of the Nagaland context considered. The second part examines Nagaland tourism policy and major models of tourism introduced by the state. The processes of commodification of local culture in their specific contexts are considered in the third part. The fourth outlines the agency of host communities in dealing with aesthetic experiences in the light of globalizing currents. The final part examines how community identities are negotiated in newly created touristic sites through the process of self-representation. The Nagaland Tourism Vision Statement endorsed the development of tourism to reflect and reinforce the uniqueness of Nagaland’s rich history, and its natural and cultural resources.
