Dark Events of the Istrian Countryside: An Electronic Media Perspective

Abstract

This pilot research illuminates the connection and reflection of past traumatic events in contemporary dark events. The purpose of the research is to provide a basic understanding of what dark events and dark tourism mean in a specific regional environment-the countryside of the trans-border region of Istria. Consequently, the media-constructed social reality related to dark events was identified with the help of a quantitative content analysis; cross tabulation and descriptive analyses were employed to resolve three research questions. It was found that wwii-related memorial services dominate in all areas of the Istrian countryside; dark events, according to media, mostly occurred at memorials or internment sites; most of them were in small Istrian towns. Flower ceremonies and cultural programmes are essential elements of Istrian dark events in all areas. However, there is no statistically significant association between event type and different rural areas. Consequently, we are now (at least basically) familiar with current Istrian dark events, which offer an ideal basis for the development of dark tourism in the most developed tourist region of Slovenia and Croatia.

The role of dark commemorative and sport events in peaceful coexistence in the Western Balkans

“…In order to analyse the contribution made by dark events to SDG16 in the Western Balkans, this exploratory research provided an SDA of media reports of these events, sampled from across the region. A corpus of media reports on thirty sport and commemorative events was developed in order to develop a novel analysis, extending the scope of dark events research beyond commemorations (Kennell et al, 2018;Laing & Frost, 2016;Suligoj, 2019) to include sport events which, in particular in this region, share dark characteristics linked to memory, politics and violence (Bairner, 2008;Brentin & Tregoures, 2016;Healy, 1991;Vejnovi c, 2014). This research shows that dark events of different types in the Western Balkans are part of a complex and seemingly permanent social system of cause-and-effect relationships, where excesses of verbal/physical violence often occur, including attacks on politicians, fans and property.…”

“…A number of authors have used the term "dark events" to refer to commemorative events that are associated with death, disaster and suffering (Kennell et al, 2018;Laing & Frost, 2016;Suligoj, 2019). Within leisure studies, the word dark has been associated with practices that involve deviance from social norms, or to denote associations with illegal or controversial subcultures (Blackshaw, 2018;Spracklen & Spracklen, 2012).…”

Evolving Themes in Dark Tourism Research

“…In the cluster of studies targeting the marketing aspects of dark tourism, the biggest challenge identified is the promotion of dark tourism. Recent studies have highlighted how electronic media and social media may have become useful resources in the promotion of dark tourism (Wight, 2020;Price & Kerr, 2017;Šuligoj, 2019;Tzanelli & Korstanje, 2016). A few studies also focus on the role played by cinema and web series in promoting dark tourism (Zerva, 2021).…”

Commemoration or commodification? A stakeholder’s discourse around the establishment of the martyrdom museum

“…Museums' position as exclusive institutions are moving towards being more accessible and dialogic (Kim, 2018). Besides the possibility to arrange a multi-voices communication, media support the popularization of dark tourism destinations (Suligoj, 2019). Social media are also appropriate for crowdsourcing initiatives, as well as to spread letters and petitions.…”