Feeling superior? National identity and humour in British castles

Zhang, Carol X; Pearce, Philip

Abstract

This study explores how humour in tourism can communicate facets of national identity. In particular, the paper focuses on the presentation by guides of two English and two Scottish castles. Drawing on multiple sources, including an analysis of promotional materials, the text of the guide’s narratives, on-site observation, and TripAdvisor comments from tourists, it was revealed that the guides repeatedly jokes to create clear boundaries between being English and Scottish. The guides’ command of nuances in language was a pivotal skill underpinning the humour. Through employing interactive jokes, the guides engaged the tourists’ attention and drew attention to the contrasts between English and Scottish characteristics. The research not only captures how the role of tourism-linked humour can function to interpret the distinctiveness of a destination, but also suggests further possible implications of humour in heritage tourism contexts.

Citation

Zhang, C. X., & Pearce, P. (2020). Feeling superior? National identity and humour in British castles. Tourism Recreation Research, 45(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2019.1632572

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 11, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jul 4, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 11, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 5, 2021
• Journal: Tourism Recreation Research
• Print ISSN: 0250-8281
• Electronic ISSN: 2320-0308
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 30-41
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2019.1632572
• Keywords: Humour, interaction, superiority, heritage tourism, national identity
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2605110
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02508281.2019.1632572
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Tourism Recreation Research on 4 July 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02508281.2019.1632572