Typology of Social Paradigm: Literature Review of Tourist’s Gastronomic Experience

Abstract

In an examination of the tourist’s gastronomic experience, scien- tific experts approach it in different ways, depending on the research para- digm to which they belong. In scientific literature, there are paradigms such as positivism, constructivism, criticism, postmodernism, and transmodern- ism. The purpose of this study was to analyze 55 scientific articles on the tourist’s gastronomic experience according to key terms (ontology, epistemology, and methodology) and thus determine their affiliation to the appropriate paradigm. The empirical research results indicate that there are no studies of postmodernism and transmodernism, but there are studies of positivist (70.91%), critical (18.18%), and constructivist (10.91%) research views. Therefore, in future research, scientists should direct their gaze pre- cisely in the direction of these paradigms. Further research findings indicate that the largest number of analyzed studies published in the last three years is in Asia (40%), North America (34.55%), and Europe (18.18%) where the au- thors predominantly apply a quantitative research approach (69.09%). The contribution of this research is reflected in the improved theoretical knowledge of the researched issues as well as the application of the same in determining the papers with regard to the type of paradigm to which the authors of selected papers belong. Also, this study is the first in conducting a paradigmatic analysis of gastronomic tourism studies.