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Istrian Memories in the Dark Tourism Context: The Qualitative Analysis
Table 8.1 Events of the Multiple-Case Study
Case Type Location Date Time
Homeland Thanks- nd City of Pula, city cen- August .–.
giving Day and Day of tre
Croatian Defenders
The anniversary of mar- m s Parish church of August .–.
tyrdom of Bl. Miroslav .–.
Bulešić Lanišće, the main
square of Svetvinčenat
Memorial exhibition of de Parish Church of St. September .–.
Bl. Francesco Bonifacio (i t) Servulus, town of Buje
The anniversary of the m s Kućibreg memorial November .–.
Battle of Kućibreg park, Town of Buje
Notes Events are deliberately sorted by contemporary dates of dark commemorative
events. m s – memorial service; n d – national day of mourning or remembrance; de –
dark exhibition, after Frost and Laing (2013) and Kennell et al. (2018). (i t) – in the Italian
language.
proves their social significance. However, as described in sub-chapter 6.4
‘Other Contemporary Memorial Practices and Dark Tourism,’ promo-
tional practices in general are very divergent.
We strictly followed our previous decision that the observer/researcher
– during their fieldwork – must behave as an ordinary visitor, which
makes observations unstructured and naturalistic. It was not possible to
employ structured observation due to the heterogeneity and uniqueness
of each event, e.g. historical background, different programmes, duration,
different locations/facilities and similar, and because the researcher had
absolutely no influence over the situation(s) being observed. For a bet-
ter understanding and on-site flexibility, all observations were based on
systematic preliminary preparations.
Hence, the selected type of observation that relied on strict ethical
principles and the complex research topic, included the following range
of activities (see also Table 8.1):²
• visitors’ observation of sites where public events occur;
• observation of speakers and honorary guest speakers at public
events;
• observation of visitor interactions at public events;
• making notes of the ‘research experience,’ including its formal in-
² Interestingly, similar activities were carried out also by many journalists who worked at
public events.
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Table 8.1 Events of the Multiple-Case Study
Case Type Location Date Time
Homeland Thanks- nd City of Pula, city cen- August .–.
giving Day and Day of tre
Croatian Defenders
The anniversary of mar- m s Parish church of August .–.
tyrdom of Bl. Miroslav .–.
Bulešić Lanišće, the main
square of Svetvinčenat
Memorial exhibition of de Parish Church of St. September .–.
Bl. Francesco Bonifacio (i t) Servulus, town of Buje
The anniversary of the m s Kućibreg memorial November .–.
Battle of Kućibreg park, Town of Buje
Notes Events are deliberately sorted by contemporary dates of dark commemorative
events. m s – memorial service; n d – national day of mourning or remembrance; de –
dark exhibition, after Frost and Laing (2013) and Kennell et al. (2018). (i t) – in the Italian
language.
proves their social significance. However, as described in sub-chapter 6.4
‘Other Contemporary Memorial Practices and Dark Tourism,’ promo-
tional practices in general are very divergent.
We strictly followed our previous decision that the observer/researcher
– during their fieldwork – must behave as an ordinary visitor, which
makes observations unstructured and naturalistic. It was not possible to
employ structured observation due to the heterogeneity and uniqueness
of each event, e.g. historical background, different programmes, duration,
different locations/facilities and similar, and because the researcher had
absolutely no influence over the situation(s) being observed. For a bet-
ter understanding and on-site flexibility, all observations were based on
systematic preliminary preparations.
Hence, the selected type of observation that relied on strict ethical
principles and the complex research topic, included the following range
of activities (see also Table 8.1):²
• visitors’ observation of sites where public events occur;
• observation of speakers and honorary guest speakers at public
events;
• observation of visitor interactions at public events;
• making notes of the ‘research experience,’ including its formal in-
² Interestingly, similar activities were carried out also by many journalists who worked at
public events.
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