Advances in Social Science and Culture ISSN 2640-9682 (Print) ISSN 2640-9674 (Online) Vol. 1, No. 2, 2019 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc 196 Original Paper The Tourist/Researcher Nexus: Investigating Social Justice Projects in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos Claudia Bell 1* 1 Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Auckland, New Zealand * Claudia Bell, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Auckland, New Zealand Received: October 20, 2019 Accepted: November 10, 2019 Online Published: November 13, 2019 doi:10.22158/assc.v1n2p196 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/assc.v1n2p196 Abstract Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos are destinations growing in popularity. All three countries are poor, with a context of recent or current conflict. Tourism is regarded as a potential saviour: a source of foreign money, whilst enhancing global awareness of each nation. Whilst tourism is largely government managed, diverse NGOs work to ameliorate conditions of the poor. There are also private social entrepreneurs running operations to upskill disadvantaged people. This paper explores a range of grassroots ventures. Tourists are the customers for most of these enterprises; so how does the academic researcher considering these spaces as case studies, differ from tourists? Fieldwork took place on three visits, 2017-2019. Initiatives included artisan and craft projects, food producers, restaurants, and eco-tourism. For social entrepreneurs running these, theire schema is responsible, grassroots development, to a social justice agenda. Many tourists consciously seek such sites. In this way, the touristic practice resembles the researcher praxis. This researcher, like any visitor, located such enterprises via websites, travel blogs, and in the field. Most functioned as charities or modest businesses. Ethically, and out of courtesy as well as desire, the researcher also purchased goods and services from each enterprise, exactly as tourists do. Keywords Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, social justice, social entrepreneur, grassroots 1. Introduction 1.1 Grassroots Initiatives Aimed at Tourists Home-grown grassroots pro-poor projects were investigated in this fieldwork. These are also referred to as social justice projects. This sector obtains slight—or no-practical intervention from government or from international aid organisations (Harrison & Schipani, 2017). Such small grassroots enterprises are