Dark Tourism in a Modern World: The Case of Commodification of Chernobyl
Author
Leikauskaite, Beatrice
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Pages
141
Abstract
Dark tourism dækker rejser til steder forbundet med død, katastrofer og lidelse, og Tjernobyl er blevet et markant eksempel. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan varegørelse og kitschificering af Tjernobyl påvirker turisters oplevelser og holdninger. Med en fortolkende, konstruktivistisk tilgang, hvor autenticitet og fortolkning er centrale for meningsdannelse, anvendes kvalitative metoder: seks interviews (fem mundtlige og ét skriftligt) med turistmyndigheder og turister, et opfølgende spørgeskema samt en online spørgeskemaundersøgelse med åbne spørgsmål udfyldt af 109 respondenter. Litteraturgennemgangen placerer Tjernobyl i debatter om mørketurismens nuancer, arv, uddannelse, erindring og dødens rolle i samtiden, herunder Stones mørkespektrum og diskussioner af autenticitet. Formålet er at forstå, hvordan besøgende skaber mening om stedet i lyset af stigende turistificering og markedsorienterede praksisser. Konkrete empiriske resultater fremgår ikke af det medsendte uddrag.
Dark tourism refers to travel to places associated with death, disaster, and suffering, and Chernobyl has become a prominent example. This thesis investigates how the commodification and kitschification of Chernobyl influence tourists’ experiences and opinions. Adopting an interpretive, constructivist approach that foregrounds authenticity and interpretation in meaning-making, the study uses qualitative methods: six interviews (five spoken and one written) with tourism officials and tourists, one follow-up questionnaire, and an online survey with open-ended questions completed by 109 respondents. The literature review situates Chernobyl within debates on shades of dark tourism, heritage, education, remembrance, and the role of death in contemporary society, including Stone’s dark spectrum and discussions of authenticity. The aim is to understand how visitors make sense of the site amid increasing touristification and market-oriented practices. Specific empirical findings are not reported in the provided excerpt.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
Keywords
Documents