This paper reviews academic research into dark tourism and thanatourism over the 1996–2016 period. The aims of this paper are threefold. First, it reviews the evolution of the concepts of dark ...tourism and thanatourism, highlighting similarities and differences between them. Second it evaluates progress in 6 key themes and debates. These are: issues of the definition and scope of the concepts; ethical issues associated with such forms of tourism; the political and ideological dimensions of dark tourism and thanatourism; the nature of demand for places of death and suffering; the management of such places; and the methods of research used for investigating such tourism. Third, research gaps and issues that demand fuller scrutiny are identified. The paper argues that two decades of research have not convincingly demonstrated that dark tourism and thanatourism are distinct forms of tourism, and in many ways they appear to be little different from heritage tourism.
•This paper reviews 2 decades of academic research into dark tourism and thanatourism.•It evaluates and critiques progress in six principle research themes.•It identifies future directions and challenges for research.•Clearly differentiating dark tourism and thanatourism from heritage tourism is problematic.
In recent years there has been increasing attention on tourism as a form of performance. Moreover, some recent work has focused on the role of tourist performances in the making (and remaking) of ...tourist places. This article explores these issues with reference to Transylvania, Romania, through ethnographic fieldwork with a group of Western tourists visiting Transylvania for Halloween. It was clear that, for these tourists, their visit to Transylvania was firmly grounded in what they brought with them from their home cultures. In particular, the whole visit was circumscribed by an enduring place-myth of Transylvania as the home of Dracula and vampires. During their holiday, these tourists enthusiastically engaged with this myth through fantasy, imagination-work and embodied play. Thus, these tourists were not simply encountering Transylvania — instead they were performing a Transylvania as they imagined it to be. In doing so, they were actively reconstituting the Transylvania place myth.
For many in the West, Romania is synonymous with Count Dracula. Since the publication of Bram Stoker's famous novel in 1897 Transylvania (and by extension, Romania) has become inseparable in the ...Western imagination with Dracula, vampires and the supernatural. Moreover, since the late 1960s Western tourists have travelled to Transylvania on their own searches for the literary and supernatural roots of the Dracula myth. Such 'Dracula tourism' presents Romania with a dilemma. On one hand, Dracula is Romania's unique selling point and has considerable potential to be exploited for economic gain. On the other hand, the whole notion of vampires and the supernatural is starkly at odds with Romania's self-image as a modern, developed, European state. This book examines the way that Romania has negotiated Dracula tourism over the past four decades. During the communist period (up to 1989) the Romanian state did almost nothing to encourage such tourism but reluctantly tolerated it. However, some discrete local initiatives were developed to cater for Dracula enthusiasts that operated at the margins of legality in a communist state. In the post-communist period (after 1989) any attempt to censor Dracula has disappeared and the private sector in Romania has been swift to exploit the commercial possibilities of the Count. However, the Romanian state remains ambivalent about Dracula and continues to be reluctant to encourage or promote Dracula tourism. As such Romania's dilemma with Dracula remains unresolved.
Background
Inguinal hernias are a common cause of groin pain. Most hernias are detectable by clinical examination and many patients proceed to hernia repair on the basis of history and examination ...findings alone. However, a significant proportion of patients with symptoms suggestive of groin hernia are found to have a normal clinical examination. Several radiological techniques have been developed to solve the dilemma posed by occult inguinal hernias. No systematic review or meta-analysis has addressed this common clinical problem.
Methods
A systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken of relevant articles in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane database. Studies were assessed using the QUADAS tool. Statistical analysis was undertaken.
Results
We have shown in this meta-analysis that ultrasound has a sensitivity of 86 % and a specificity of 77 % in occult inguinal hernias. Computed tomography has a sensitivity of 80 % and a specificity of 65 %. Herniography has a sensitivity of 91 % and a specificity of 83 %.
Conclusions
Based on this systematic review, herniography should be considered as the initial investigation for occult inguinal hernia where available. In centers where this is not available, ultrasound of the groin should be used with good clinical judgment. When there is still diagnostic uncertainty, further investigation with magnetic resonance imaging should be considered to exclude alternative pathology.
Groin hernias are common conditions, and there is a need for accurate imaging when the clinical diagnosis is not clear. A meta‐analysis was undertaken to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of ...sonography in the diagnosis of inguinal hernias. After review of literature searches, 9 original articles were included. Data were pooled and statistically analyzed. In the studies included, sensitivity ranged from 92.7% to 100%; specificity ranged from 22.2% to 100%; the positive predictive value ranged from 83.3 to 100%; and the negative predictive value ranged from 40 to 100%. Sonography has overall sensitivity of 96.6 %, specificity of 84.8%, and a positive predictive value of 92.6%. In cases of diagnostic uncertainty, sonography offers value as an initial imaging modality. It has advantages over other radiologic methods, as it is inexpensive and has minimal complications. When the clinical diagnosis of an inguinal hernia is uncertain, sonographic findings should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical judgment, as its diagnostic accuracy is reduced in the absence of any clinically palpable hernia.
Memorial museums are frequently established within transitional justice projects intended to reckon with recent political violence. They play an important role in enabling young people to understand ...and remember a period of human rights abuses of which they have no direct experience. This paper examines the impact of a memorial museum in Romania which interprets the human rights abuses of the communist period (1947–1989). It uses focus groups with 61 young adults and compares the responses of visitors and non-visitors to assess the impact of the museum on views about the communist past, as well as the role of the museum within post-communist transitional justice. The museum had a limited impact on changing overall perceptions of the communist era but visiting did stimulate reflection on the differences between past and present, and the importance of long-term remembrance; however, these young people were largely skeptical about the museum’s role within broader processes of transitional justice. The paper concludes that it is important to recognize the limits of what memorial museums can achieve, since young people form a range of intergenerational memories about the recent past which a museum is not always able to change.
This paper puts forward a theoretical framework of existential well-being that incorporates the twin human drives towards stability and adventure. Todres and Galvin (2011) were inspired to develop ...the dwelling/mobility framework by Heidegger's notion of Gegnet (translation: “abiding expanse”). The paper will employ examples of tourist practices that reveal dwelling and mobility to be simultaneously intertwined. In so doing it will highlight the blurred boundaries between home and away and will demonstrate the continued relevance of existential philosophy to understanding the tourist experience.
•Reviews the link between tourism and existential authenticity•Uses Heidegger's Gegnet to articulate the dynamic pull between home and away•Applies the dwelling/mobility philosophical framework to tourism
Academic geographers have a long history of studying both tourism and place names, but have rarely made linkages between the two. Within critical toponymic studies there is increasing debate about ...the commodification of place names, but to date the role of tourism in this process has been almost completely overlooked. In some circumstances, toponyms can become tourist sights based on their extraordinary properties, their broader associations within popular culture, or their role as metanyms for some other aspect of a place. Place names may be sights in their own right or 'markers' of a sight and, in some cases, the marker may be more significant than the sight to which it refers. The appropriation of place names through tourism also includes the production and consumption of a broad range of souvenirs based on reproductions or replicas of the material signage that denote place names. Place names as attractions are also associated with a range of performances by tourists, and in some cases visiting a place name can be a significant expression of fandom. In some circumstances, place names can be embraced and promoted by tourism marketing strategies and are, in turn, drawn into broader circuits of the production and consumption of tourist space.
In recent years the study of urban toponymy (place names) has been revitalized by the emergence of a ‘critical toponymies' approach. This focuses on the cultural politics of place naming and the ...decisions involved in attributing names to the urban landscape. However, in contemporary cities place names have an economic role in addition to their political role. In particular, there have been recent calls for more attention to the commodification of place‐naming rights and practices. This article seeks to respond to these calls by addressing the issue of urban place names as commodities. It begins by examining the naming of sports stadia by corporate sponsors. It then considers a range of ways in which private‐sector interests are increasingly influencing the naming of the urban landscape, from buildings and neighbourhoods to individual streets. Even the material signage that identifies street names can be appropriated within branding and promotional strategies. Moreover, urban place names are increasingly incorporated into a range of commercially produced spatial datasets collated by private companies. The article ends by proposing a number of directions for future research into the economic role of urban place names and the commodification of toponymy more broadly.
Exploring bad faith in tourism Light, Duncan; Brown, Lorraine
Annals of tourism research,
January 2021, 2021-01-00, Volume:
86
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Previous applications of existential philosophy to tourism have focused on the work of Martin Heidegger but have neglected the contribution of Jean-Paul Sartre. This paper examines the relevance of ...Sartre's concept of ‘bad faith’ to tourism. Bad faith is a way of living based on inauthenticity, self-deception, and disregard for the Other. The paper explores the manifestation of bad faith in three contemporary scenarios: flying and its implications for climate change; conforming to the expectations of other people through social media engagements; and sex tourism. It argues that bad faith - compromising and denying individual freedom – underpins many tourism practices. The paper ends by considering future opportunities for using Sartre's philosophy to understand tourist experiences.
•Relies on original philosophical sources.•Applies Sartre's notion of bad faith' to tourism practice.•Considers three contemporary scenarios.•Identifies areas for future research.
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