Beyond overtourism: An analysis of (non-)protest against touristification on the Balearic Island of Mallorca

This thesis offers a critical examination of tourism through the interrelated lenses of power, inequality, and degrowth, questioning whether the sector can be reimagined in ways that promote greater justice and sustainability. It is organized into three sub-projects. The first investigates how overtourism reshapes residents’ perspectives, applying Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory to show that older generations often experience profound shifts in their views of tourism and capitalism, while younger residents tend to normalize deteriorating conditions - a dynamic explained through the concept of shifting baselines. The second explores why many residents remain silent in the face of intensifying touristification and its negative impacts. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice and qualitative research in Mallorca, it demonstrates how social class, habitus, and economic dependency constrain activism, while misinformation and the delegitimization of protest by media and the ruling class further reinforce passivity or even encourage rejection of the protests The third evaluates Cittaslow as a possible vehicle for degrowth, revealing strong conceptual affinities but also inherent limitations, as its flexible framework can either inspire transformation or be diluted into mere promotion, depending on political will. Together, these studies challenge the notion that economic benefit guarantees support for tourism, showing instead how class position, generational experience, structural dependency, and discourse shape responses. The thesis concludes that genuine transformation requires structural critique, inclusive narratives, and the political resolve to move beyond growth-centered models.