Dark tourism

Cities define themselves through historically acquired self-images. They are the projection screens and creators of social identities – and often come with historical burdens. Quite a few cities use these stigmas to their advantage, as “authentic” distinguishing characteristics in the global competition for urban tourism. The term “shadow place” draws attention to memorialization and touristification as social processes. The conference would like to investigate which role historical "shadows" play in creating urban images.