ABSTRACT
This chapter examines themes of what I call “deep tourism”, which is premised on Clifford Geertz’s (1998) notion of “deep hanging out” and builds a framework for thinking about the strange/familiar dialogic in the context of a recent research trip to Yap State in Micronesia. Another theme outlined in this chapter is the ways in which islands become both mirrors and windows for anthropological and existential thinking. Lastly, this chapter examines islandic exchange systems through a discussion of the various forms of exchange present in Yap.
The first micro-essay on Hawaii examines Honolulu as a microcosm of late capitalism. The section on Yap that follows forms the longest of the micro-essays in this chapter, working to unpack the significance of remoteness, reflexivity, and exchange on this tiny island in the South Pacific. The islands of Rumung and Ulithi form the base for a pair of micro-essays on centre/periphery relationships that persist in many island settings. The last micro-essay examines the non-place (Augé 1992) of the colonial island airport.
