Over the past century, anthropologists have sought to set themselves apart from tourists by pitting the production of scientific knowledge of cultures against the sensory experience of exoticism. However, in the last thirty years, tourism has become increasingly professionalised, adopting anthropological categories to create a cultural distance and foster a desire to bridge this gap, while the populations visited by tourists have themselves participated in the creation of their own cultural staging'.

Under these new conditions resulting from globalisation, where spatial borders are becoming blurred and where new players are entering the growing tourism sector, tourism professionals are turning to anthropologists to produce a cultural distance, while observing the encounters with the populations that take part in these interactions.

What types of distance, misunderstanding and resistance emerge from these interactions between indigenous groups, tourist professionals and anthropologists? How can they identify new areas of study for anthropologists? And can these new types of anthropology reveal new sites to explore for tourism professionals? What are the benefits of this new configuration for indigenous groups?

This symposium, organised to coincide with the exhibition 'The Little Explorer's Box of Delights', aims to initiate a dialogue between anthropologists, tourism professionals and representatives of indigenous groups as well as contemporary artists on current sites that bring visitors into contact with the "exotic". Digital technologies are redefining the contribution of indigenous groups to festivals and televised performances. Museums, cities' multicultural neighbourhoods and theme parks are becoming places where visitors can explore distant lands while remaining close to home. The movement of objects on the art market is leading indigenous groups to produce works for tourists while retaining their intellectual property rights.