ABSTRACT
The answer proposed by this book is that tango dancing constitutes a sensual metaphor for the mutually constitutive relations between intimacy and globalization. The Argentine tango provides a striking example of an unsettled internationalized culture that was carried across national borders long before social scientists invented the word “globalization”. The tango is danced on the edge of a vulgar and immoral intimacy, forming its steps into a dangerous play revolving around sexualized representations and exoticism as well as artistic values and rigorous dance training. At center stage in tango is the emotional experience transmitted through the intimate dance embrace, the improvised dancing style and the dramatized Argentine music. When framing the tango in terms of a dance voyage to Buenos Aires, however, the nexus of intimacy and globalization shifts slightly and changes color. In fact, adding elements of the holiday experience evokes a number of dilemmas at the heart of our time. How is the quest for emotionality aff ected by the economic realities exposed through the relations in tourism? How is tango intimacy aff ected by the fact that the dancers are no longer only dancers but also wealthy and poor, clients and service providers within a market of intimate services and cultural goods? And what happens when a tourist industry attempts to annex feelings and symbolic values such as authenticity?
