Venice and the Extractivist Regime of Mass Tourism
ISSN-Digital
978-88-6969-933-7
Type
book section
Date Issued
2025-06
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Omodeo Pietro Daniel
Consolandi, Pietro
Abstract
This short text explores the phenomenon of overtourism and its impacts on cities like Venice, drawing from political geography, critical development studies, urban studies, and the environmental humanities. It examines how the expansion of extractivist dynamics – traditionally focused on natural resources – now extends to social, economic, cultural
and ecological domains, providing a unique perspective for understanding key dimensions of the Anthropocene. The social conflicts resulting from the aggressive neoliberal marketization of urban spaces, as exemplified by Venice, expose the extractive logics justifying mass tourism: the commodification of the commons and of cultural heritage embodies
a form of symbolic extraction that parallels the material extraction of resources, reshaping the social, economic, and ecological landscapes of cities. This extractivist logic, intensified by neoliberal forces and promoted by several political actors, transforms urban life, aesthetics, and ecology at once.
and ecological domains, providing a unique perspective for understanding key dimensions of the Anthropocene. The social conflicts resulting from the aggressive neoliberal marketization of urban spaces, as exemplified by Venice, expose the extractive logics justifying mass tourism: the commodification of the commons and of cultural heritage embodies
a form of symbolic extraction that parallels the material extraction of resources, reshaping the social, economic, and ecological landscapes of cities. This extractivist logic, intensified by neoliberal forces and promoted by several political actors, transforms urban life, aesthetics, and ecology at once.
Language
English
Keywords
tourist economy
overtourism
mass tourism
extractivism
ecology
venice
environmental humanities
anthropocene
HSG Classification
contribution to education
Book title
The Anthropocene Waterscapes of Venice
Publisher
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Publisher place
Venice
Start page
77
End page
79
Subject(s)
Division(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
guaraldo venice extractivist regime.pdf
Size
141.25 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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