Queer consumption and commercial hospitality: communitas, myths and the production of liminoid space

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between sexual dissidence, gender transgression and commercial hospitality. The paper aims to argue that this can be used to examine how ideological assumptions about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) consumers are mobilised in the production and consumption of hospitality spaces. Design/methodology/approach – The paper synthesises three theoretical strands: first, Turner’s concepts of the liminoid and communitas; second, anthropological and socio-political conceptions of myth and myth-making and third, Lefebvre’s spatial dialectic in the production of material, abstract and symbolic space. It is argued that, when considered together, these theoretical approaches help to understand the consumer experience, the ideological assumptions that underpin the experience, and the processes through which the experience is constructed. Findings – The holistic nature of the approach helps to analyse the relationship between consumption and community ideologies at the micro level of personal interaction, the meso level of group and organisational norms and the macro level of societal structures and agencies. Research limitations/implications – The application of this framework in empirical research can enhance our understanding of the role of commercial hospitality spaces in reproducing and challenging particular ideological assumptions about LGBT consumers. It can inform the operational strategies of commercial organisations. Furthermore, it can underpin a critical perspective on management, which encourages practitioners to develop a sense of social responsibility towards the communities of consumers they target. Originality/value – Applying this framework to empirical research will also help one to understand the nature of consumption and production within commercial hospitality