Contesting Tourism and Youth Skills Discourse in Caribbean Resort Economies

Abstract

Global youth workforce development initiatives promote a linear vision of economic mobility that links youth skills to locally productive labor markets. Yet racialization intervenes in how young people's skills and capabilities are perceived and valued. In the Dominican Republic, educators and youth contest the grounds of education and employment initiatives aligned with tourism's dependency on their criminalization, exclusion, and exploitation. Their insights demand a shift in focus away from employer-centered models that deepen inequality. © 2025 American Anthropological Association.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Caribbean racialization skills development workforce education youth

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Social Foundations of Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa, FL, United States

Funding & Acknowledgements

Spencer Foundation

Funding text 1: Funding: This work was supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by Wenner\u2010Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010). Funding:

National Academy of Education, NAEd

Funding text 1: Funding: This work was supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by Wenner\u2010Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010). Funding:

Wenner-Gren Foundation, WGF

Grant: 10220

Funding text 1: Funding: This work was supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by Wenner\u2010Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010). Funding:

Wenner-Gren Foundation, WGF

Funding text 1: Funding: This work was supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by Wenner\u2010Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010). Funding:

Fulbright Association, FA

Grant: P022A200010

Funding text 1: Funding: This work was supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by Wenner\u2010Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010). Funding:

Fulbright Association, FA

Funding text 1: Funding: This work was supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by Wenner\u2010Gren Foundation (10220), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Association (P022A200010). Funding:

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Contesting Tourism and Youth Skills Discourse in Caribbean Resort Economies

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