Exploring the Intersections of Emotional Solidarity and Ethic of Care: An Analysis of Their Synergistic Contributions to Sustainable Community Tourism Development

Interactions between tourists and residents have been interpreted and analyzed applying various theoretical lenses. One of such lens is the study of perception of emotional solidarity forged between individuals based on inter-dependent activities and another is the application of lens of ethic of care, which suggests developing synergetic relationships between individuals based on mutual respect, a caring attitude, and understanding that is marked by equality of relations. No research to date has attempted to examine how these two theoretical constructs complement one another. The study explored how integrating the intersections of two complementary constructs-Emotional Solidarity (ES) and Ethic of Care (EC) could potentially contribute to enhancing stakeholders-tourists interactions, and subsequently contribute to sustainable tourism development. The study applied a mixed qualitative research blending emergent data with theory driven data conducting semi-structured interviews with 40 tourism stakeholders in Bryan-College Station (BCS), Texas. The study findings suggest that tourism contributed to fostering cultural pride and respect; sharing the diverse history and culture of BCS with tourists filled with ethic of care; and, enhanced tourism stakeholders’ perceptions of emotional solidarity with tourists and residents alike. The study suggested the need for strong interconnections between ES and EC theories and emphasized their synergistic application in BCS tourism in particular and sustainable tourism in general