Holocaust concentration camp memorial sites: an exploratory study into expected emotional response

J Nawijn, R Isaac, K. Gridnevskiy, AAG van Liempt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study explored Dutch people's expected intensity of emotional responses of a potential visit to a concentration camp memorial site in the Netherlands. A total of 1050 online panel members participated in a questionnaire that contained a 33-item emotion scale. Results reveal that individuals with a closeness to the Holocaust expect to feel most emotions more intensely, specifically emotions that are traditionally considered ‘positive’, such as pride, love, joy, inspiration, excitement and affection. Overall, respondents expect to feel disgust, shock, compassion and sadness the strongest. Those who look from the viewpoint of the offenders mainly expect to feel emotions that are traditionally considered ‘negative’, whereas those who took the point of view of the victims also expect a more ‘positive’ emotional reaction to the visit. Managerial implications address aspects of education, storytelling and authenticity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)175-190
JournalCurrent Issues in Tourism
Volume21
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • difficult heritage
  • emotions
  • holocaust
  • memorials
  • motivation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Holocaust concentration camp memorial sites: an exploratory study into expected emotional response'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this