HONOLULU

Resumé

In the grand narrative of Honolulu as the

gateway to the Land of Aloha, Honolulu

metaphorically negotiates a position that

mediates the contrasts between a typical

socio-economic, urban reality and touristic

myths of pastoral excoticism. Drawing on

the critical works of postcolonial scholar

Edward Said in conjunction with theories

on semiotics and tourism, the article posits

that two main factors contribute to reinforce

and repeat the (neo)-colonial paradigm’s

persistence in the grand narrative

on Hawaii – namely aloha and nostalgia.

Aloha functions conceptually as a unifying,

pacifying force amongst the local

population, while it defines the tourist

gaze on Hawaii as a welcoming and politically

uncomplicated holiday destination.

Nostalgia, on the other hand, is the

ideological interpretation of the past based

on utopian desires in the present. Conjoined,

aloha and nostalgia favor the

tourist gaze and continue the hegemonic

processes that colonize the minds of

tourists and locals alike.