Criminology Seminar Series - Exhibiting Crime and Punishment: Dark Tourism and the Aftermath of Trauma
When:
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Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
No booking required
Exhibiting Crime and Punishment: Dark Tourism and the Aftermath of Trauma
Speaker: Professor Eamonn Carrabine (Department of Sociology, University of Essex)
In this paper Professor Carrabine explores some of the some of the ethical questions posed by dark tourism and the spectacle of suffering through examples drawn from his current research on the 'Iconography of Punishment: From Renaissance to Modernity'. In particular, he addresses the global phenomenon whereby former sites of imprisonment are transformed into popular tourist attractions. Recognising that dark tourism involves and spans a fluid range of intensity the museum experience is nevertheless central to it where representations of death, disaster or atrocity are displayed for an uneasy mix of education, commerce and memorialisation purposes. Although images are often integral to the prison tourist experience they need to be situated in the context of what has been called the 'museum effect'. This effect is produced by the complex interplay of objects, images and space. Crucially, it is achieved via a form of choreographed movement through institutional space, which combined with the allure of artefacts and practices, enables visitors to connect with a particular visualisation of the past. Critics have raised concerns over the ways in which leisure and pleasure are mixed with tragedy at the sites of dark tourism, and the paper will examine why the practice has been condemned as an inappropriate and immoral way to publicly commemorate human suffering.
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About the Criminology Seminar Series
In line with the School of Law, Birkbeck's research and teaching ethos, the Criminology Seminar Series aims to provide a platform for critical and interdisciplinary research, showcasing prominent and path-breaking research on crime, criminal justice and related themes by scholars from within and beyond Birkbeck. The series is convened by Dr Sappho Xenakis, School of Law, Birkbeck.
Attendance to the events is free but registration is required. Talks from the 2017/18 series will be avaible for download via the website. Find out more about the series here. The hashtag for the event is #BBKCrimSeries.
Please note that latecomers to the event are not guaranteed entry. Please be advised that photographs may be taken at the event for use on the Birkbeck website and in Birkbeck marketing materials. By attending this event, you consent to Birkbeck photographing and using your image for these purposes. By registering for this event you consent to your email address being added to the School of Law, Birkbeck mailing list. Your email address will not be shared with third-party organisations. If you would like to request your removal from our mailing list please contact law-events@bbk.ac.uk
Picture credit: Image is by Fernando Botero: Abu Ghraib #67 (2005). University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Gift of the Artist, 2009.12.42 Photographed for the UC Berkeley Art Museum by Benjamin Blackwell.
This event is part of the School of Law's 25th Anniversary celebrations. The School of Law, Birkbeck was founded in 1992 as a Department of Law with three members of academic staff. Over the last twenty-five years it has become a School comprising the Departments of Law and Criminology as well as the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, four research Centres, 40 members of staff and an overall student body of over 1,000. The School is proud of being a pioneer in establishing and developing a hub for the field of critical legal studies. While our national and international reputation has been forged through critical legal research, more recently we have gained recognition for critical criminological and activist research, socio-legal scholarship and policy-engaged empirical research. In recognition of this the last Research Excellence Framework exercise ranked us as being in the top 10 law schools in the UK and in the top 3 in London, while our research environment was judged conducive to producing research of the highest quality.
In this our 25th Anniversary year we will be holding a series of events reflecting on our history and successes as well as looking forward to the opportunities and challenges facing critical legal and criminological teaching and scholarship in the 21st century. Find out more about the 25th Anniversary celebrations here.
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Law Events