1st Edition
Touring Beyond the Nation: A Transnational Approach to European Tourism History
When tourists travel, they often seek the exotic. The farther they venture, the more unique the cultures they gaze upon, the greater the prestige accrued; cross-cultural contact is commonplace. Yet despite the obviously transnational character of the tourist experience, national borders define existing studies of tourism. Spanish, French, or German tourism is treated almost in isolation and there are only hints of a larger transnational impetus behind the creation of national tourism products. This volume tells a different story. Although modern tourism first evolved in Europe changes were never confined to national borders. The Grand Tour, the birthplace of modern tourism, was consummately transnational in both its execution and its influence. Although seaside resorts originated in Britain, the aesthetic and scientific ideas that made beaches desirable emerged through conversation among Dutch painters, English travellers, and both British and Continental scientists and philosophers. When travel was finally available to the masses, Irish tourism advocates looked to England, Continental Europe, and America for ideas. The Nazi leisure organization, Strength through Joy (KdF), was based on an earlier Italian model, the Dopolavoro. World's Fair promoters raided previous fairs in other countries for ideas. European-wide demand and taste helped shape nudist practice in France and beyond. At every turn, practices and products developed because tourism lent itself to trans-national discourse. The contributors examine a wide range of topics that together make a powerful argument for the adoption of a new transnational model for understanding modern tourism. An essential addition to the library of academics studying the history of tourism, popular culture and leisure in Europe, the book will also provide interest to scholars of transnational topics, including Europeanization and globalization.
Biography
Eric G.E. Zuelow, Department of History, University of New England, USA
'The chapters in this volume are well-written, well-structured and solidly researched, consistently interesting, and richly textured, particularly regarding the paradox of defining the nation while addressing transnational discussions.' Shelley Baranowski, University of Akron, USA 'Different approaches co-exist in the book without compromising the coherence of the final result. In fact, the novelties of each contribution are conspicuous and relevant, and will certainly contribute to further research along the same or parallel lines.' Economic History Review '... an important volume that productively engages the nation-centric analyses that have often characterized histories of tourism... [It] sets a high bar for the study of European tourism history by identifying the transnational as a critical discursive context, thereby opening up inspired possibilities for future scholarship working across disciplinary boundaries, theoretical frameworks and historical specificities, in Europe and beyond.' Journal of Tourism History '... the essays make very valuable individual contributions to our understanding of the history of tourism ...' American Historical Review