Shedding light on a dark past: representations of slavery at UK heritage tourism sites
by Erik Amundson; Alptekin Kavi; Andrea Fairchok
International Journal of Tourism Anthropology (IJTA), Vol. 5, No. 3/4, 2016

Abstract: Prior research has pointed out that plantation-related heritage tourism sites have not adequately represented historical connections to slavery, often using strategies to downplay or hide this part of their history. However few studies evaluate how the memories of enslavement are constructed and presented in locations where large numbers of slave trade voyages embarked. Accordingly, this study examines the representations of slavery at historical tourist destinations in three UK port cities with strong connections to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Using a textual analysis of ten data sources, including seven publications and three museum websites, the researchers explore the key conceptual themes that are incorporated into the tourism narratives. By establishing recording units to code and categorise the data content, the research team identified five key mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories that frequently arose within the context of slavery. While the theme of the trans-Atlantic slave trade had the highest relative frequency, the data sources used for this study show there is still ambiguity surrounding memories of slavery and its connection to British wealth and prosperity.

Online publication date: Tue, 24-Jan-2017

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