On the need for critical pedagogy in tourism education

Critical management studies is less a coherent movement than a loose coalition of counter-discourses that have arisen in opposition to mainstream management ideology, practice, and education. The purpose of these counter-discourses has been both to offer reactionary critique to what are viewed as problems with the management status quo and to generate creative alternative theories and explanations for phenomena in the realm of management studies. This paper explores the theoretical and philosophical roots of critical pedagogy and argues for its benefits to tourism education. We argue that including a critical pedagogy in tourism curricula can result in positive outcomes on three levels: individual freedom, social justice, and business productivity.