Assessing Dark Tourism Scholarship and Practice: Themes, Issues & Consequences

Experts from the field of Dark Tourism will gather at UCLan in September for a showpiece symposium event.

The Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR), in conjunction with the University's Distinguished Visitor Programme, is hosting the symposium which will review the state of dark tourism scholarships as well as highlighting key themes and issues.

Commonly referred to as 'dark tourism', the act of travel to visitor sites, or museum exhibitions, that commercialise and/or commemorate acts of war, tragedy or atrocity and the seemingly macabre has received increasing media and academic attention.

CNN recently reported the iDTR had "given the genre new found respectability", while iDTR Executive Director Dr Philip Stone's research has been quoted in a number of publications, including the New York Times. Academic publishers Palgrave Macmillan have also commissioned a Handbook of Dark Tourism Studies to be released in 2016.

The University of Colorado's Dr Rudi Hartmann will deliver the Keynote Address, with Professor John Lennon from Glasgow Caledonian University also amongst the guest speakers.

The symposium takes place at Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston, on Tuesday, 23 September, 1-4.30 pm. Delegate admission is free, but there are limited places available, so to register please click here.