A Canterbury tale: imaginative genealogies and existential heritage tourism at the St. Lawrence Ground |
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Authors: | Gregory Ramshaw |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, 292 Lehotsky Hall, Box 340735, Clemson, SC 29634-0735, USAgramsha@clemson.edu |
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Abstract: | At its most innate, heritage is biological, and perceptions of our own origins can drive many heritage journeys. However, like many heritage excursions, genealogical travel can also fuse objective fact with imagination in the search for meaning and identity. This paper explores a genealogical journey to a cricket ground in Kent, where the search for a family member's past seamlessly merged with broader heritage constructions. Through this journey, it was found that heritage could be seen as a series of dualities; a mixture of collective and individual, objective and imaginative, and tangible and existential. Furthermore, it considers that heritage sport tourism – a topic broadly concerned with extrinsic, tangible heritage such as sports sites, sports museums, and sporting artifacts, can also be viewed through a more existential lens. |
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Keywords: | sport heritage tourism cricket England genealogy |
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