Abstract Title:
Diaspora Tours and Place Attachment: Armenian Pilgrimages to Eastern Turkey
is part of the Paper Session:
THE PHENOMENON OF ETHNIC TOURISM IN EUROPE
scheduled on Saturday, 4/13/2013 at 8:00 AM.
Author(s):
Zeynep Turan Hoffman* - CUNY MEMEAC
Abstract:
The case of diaspora Armenians visiting historic Armenia in present-day Eastern Turkey illustrates the power of memory and identity in the context of unresolved historical grievances over the 1915 genocide and mass deportations that nearly depopulated Anatolia of Armenians, and highlights the impact of these tours on local and diaspora perspectives. In addition to exploring the influence of diaspora tourism in nurturing connections to historic sites and kindling potent memories (i.e., place attachment and place identity of Armenian-Americans pre- and post-trip), this paper unpacks personal, political, and practical dimensions of diaspora tourism, including reparative aspects for Armenians, especially as ordinary Turks increasingly acknowledge the historical record in the twentieth century. Findings are based on original research on tour participants and tour operators in May 2009 and June 2011, and are also drawn from testimonials and exposés by travelers in Armenian-American publications, reports in Armenian-American newspapers and on the internet. The paper concludes with an analysis of case specific assessments of Armenian tours to Eastern Turkey and comments on the nature of diaspora tourism in the construction of identity.
Keywords:
ethnic tourism, place attachment
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