En resa till motsägelsernas land : Rumänien i svenska guideböcker 1964–1981
(2024) HISK37 20241History
- Abstract
- A Journey to the Land of Contradictions - The Depiction of Romania in Swedish Guidebooks 1964-1981.
In the construction of countries as tourist destinations, travel literature – such as guidebooks – plays an integral role in deciding what places to visit and how these should be perceived. The Socialist Republic of Romania began a large-scale investment in its tourism industry in the 1950s, with ambitions of improving both its economic situation and their international image. This initiative initially proved successful, as the country saw an increase in tourism from Western Europe, not least from Scandinavian countries. This paper focuses on how Swedish guidebooks, published between 1964 and 1981, depicted Romania as a desirable tourist... (More) - A Journey to the Land of Contradictions - The Depiction of Romania in Swedish Guidebooks 1964-1981.
In the construction of countries as tourist destinations, travel literature – such as guidebooks – plays an integral role in deciding what places to visit and how these should be perceived. The Socialist Republic of Romania began a large-scale investment in its tourism industry in the 1950s, with ambitions of improving both its economic situation and their international image. This initiative initially proved successful, as the country saw an increase in tourism from Western Europe, not least from Scandinavian countries. This paper focuses on how Swedish guidebooks, published between 1964 and 1981, depicted Romania as a desirable tourist destination. These guidebooks were analysed qualitatively through the use of thematization and comparative analysis, taking into account their context of production. Using the theoretical frameworks of tourist gaze and Balkanism, the study shows that the guidebooks construct a gaze, seemingly influenced by Balkanist discourse, of Romania as a semi-place – where western influences meet eastern, and the ancient meets the modern. The perspective of the tourist is of great importance in the construction of the gaze, as it determines which aspects of the country, modern versus ancient, are perceived as positive or negative. The perceived authenticity of the countryside, where time has seemingly stood still and where traditions are upheld, is a prominent and integral part of this gaze in the analysed guidebooks. Furthermore, similarities can be observed between the depiction within the guidebooks and the official image pushed by the Romanian tourist industry, both in the focus on the authentic countryside, as well as in the emphasis on the authentic countryside and the nation’s historical narrative centered on its Roman legacy. As this was a formative period for the Romanian tourist industry, it was equally formative in the shaping of the Western tourist gaze of the country. By analyzing these guidebooks, this study contributes to the existing scholarship on Western perceptions of Eastern Europe, offering new insights into how Romania was depicted as a tourist destination during the Cold War era. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9178337
- author
- Olsson, Fanny LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- HISK37 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Tourist gaze, Balkanism, Rumänien, Romania, guideböcker
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9178337
- date added to LUP
- 2025-03-11 12:22:05
- date last changed
- 2025-03-11 12:22:05
@misc{9178337,
abstract = {{A Journey to the Land of Contradictions - The Depiction of Romania in Swedish Guidebooks 1964-1981.
In the construction of countries as tourist destinations, travel literature – such as guidebooks – plays an integral role in deciding what places to visit and how these should be perceived. The Socialist Republic of Romania began a large-scale investment in its tourism industry in the 1950s, with ambitions of improving both its economic situation and their international image. This initiative initially proved successful, as the country saw an increase in tourism from Western Europe, not least from Scandinavian countries. This paper focuses on how Swedish guidebooks, published between 1964 and 1981, depicted Romania as a desirable tourist destination. These guidebooks were analysed qualitatively through the use of thematization and comparative analysis, taking into account their context of production. Using the theoretical frameworks of tourist gaze and Balkanism, the study shows that the guidebooks construct a gaze, seemingly influenced by Balkanist discourse, of Romania as a semi-place – where western influences meet eastern, and the ancient meets the modern. The perspective of the tourist is of great importance in the construction of the gaze, as it determines which aspects of the country, modern versus ancient, are perceived as positive or negative. The perceived authenticity of the countryside, where time has seemingly stood still and where traditions are upheld, is a prominent and integral part of this gaze in the analysed guidebooks. Furthermore, similarities can be observed between the depiction within the guidebooks and the official image pushed by the Romanian tourist industry, both in the focus on the authentic countryside, as well as in the emphasis on the authentic countryside and the nation’s historical narrative centered on its Roman legacy. As this was a formative period for the Romanian tourist industry, it was equally formative in the shaping of the Western tourist gaze of the country. By analyzing these guidebooks, this study contributes to the existing scholarship on Western perceptions of Eastern Europe, offering new insights into how Romania was depicted as a tourist destination during the Cold War era.}},
author = {{Olsson, Fanny}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{En resa till motsägelsernas land : Rumänien i svenska guideböcker 1964–1981}},
year = {{2024}},
}