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Kazakhstan Gulag heritage: Dark tourism and selective interpretation
Author(s) -
Len Justin John,
Tiberghien Guillaume
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.2341
Subject(s) - gulag , dark tourism , tourism , interpretation (philosophy) , heritage tourism , population , political science , geography , history , ethnology , sociology , law , tourism geography , demography , philosophy , linguistics
Kazakhstan holds some of the most significant Gulag heritage sites; however, tourism research remains limited. This article introduces analysis of contrasting sites and considers how some have been developed and others ignored. Selectivity in interpretation is linked to societal amnesia and the collective trauma experienced by the population of Kazakhstan. The article reaffirms the politicization of heritage in this emergent nation.