Thanatourism : a pedagogical perspective on museum interpretation : Domvs Romana and Ta’ Bistra Catacombs

Abstract

The term thanatourism was coined by Seaton in 1996 while explaining how in such tourism, the visitor is “motivated by the desire for actual or symbolic encounters with death.” Exploring thanatourism sites should go beyond how people remember and interpret the past; indeed, one must also consider how these sites can mirror contemporary events, issues, and social tensions. Therefore, thanatourism sites have an important educational role, especially in sharing and encouraging the historical interpretation of such sites and how this directly fosters national identity. The educative role of thanatourism sites can improve the visitors’ experience as well as provide a service to society through transformative pedagogy. The focus of this dissertation is to analyse the pedagogical potential of two thanatourism sites in Malta and the current availability of educational resources and museum interpretation within that context. Ta’ Bistra Catacombs and the Domvs Romana (aka Domus Romana) are used as case studies. The term thanatourism is also known and accepted in both academic and popular spheres, together with other terminologies. Some of these terminologies have negative connotations, while others are simply discarded as not representative enough, one such term being dark tourism. While throughout the dissertation, the researcher uses the term thanatourism, the term dark tourism is still mentioned since some of the respondents and studies consulted use this term. Notwithstanding the growing demand for this type of tourism (Sharpley, 2009), there is yet no local pedagogical study on how to go beyond the economic dimension of thanatourism sites and how pedagogy can actively be applied to critically learn about our past. Thanatourism sites are the ideal vehicle for critical pedagogical practice. Thus, this study analyses how these sites are classified within thanatourism scholarship. It also addresses the challenges with site interpretation while acknowledging the lack of neutrality concerning how a museum is identified, which content is presented and which is excluded, and how the content presented is displayed and interpreted. Visiting and experiencing museums that fall under the thanatourism umbrella is not a new phenomenon. Visitors have long visited sites related to death and/or suffering, such as Ta’ Bistra Catacombs. However, these visits mostly included customary visits or on-site history lessons for students as opposed to engagement in critical museum pedagogy about Malta’s past. Consequently, this study addresses the extent to which the visitor is aware of this pedagogy when accessing an ancient Roman cemetery (Ta’ Bistra Catacombs) and an aristocratic Roman house (the Domvs Romana). The unique Domvs Romana, a Roman house, has not been considered a thanatourism site as yet; however, medieval Saracenic graves have been found at the Domvs Romana, which have not been properly explored since the 1920s as they are archaeologically fragile. Indeed, beneath the Domvs Romana lies a documented Islamic cemetery dating from the 11th–12th century, making it a particular thanatourism site and an ideal candidate for authorised heritage discourse (AHD) due to its related educational potential. Both the Domvs Romana and Ta’ Bistra Catacombs are important because of the diverse ways they were used and interpreted despite the fact that both trace their origins to ancient Roman heritage. The Domvs Romana was used to express Malta’s national needs as the first official museum building on the island commemorating ancient Roman history within a traditional interpretation. Contrastingly, the Ta’ Bistra Catacombs show a more progressive interpretation due to non-academic voices and the vernacular structures that were built around the catacombs, which are also at the forefront of the site’s interpretation. This study is based on data collection as well as the analysis of the types and content of the educational resources available at the two sites. The critical approach adopted in the two sites was studied through virtual qualitative testing, while discussions with adult individuals that had visited the sites were conducted in order to analyse the extent of the participants’ awareness of thanatourism and its potential as an educational tool. The dissertation concludes with an analysis of the findings, a reflection on the possibilities and limitations of such a transmission-absorption dominated approach to museum interpretation, and some suggestions for a more critical pedagogy for thanatourism sites. Structure overview The dissertation is based on the following structure: a) The definition of some terminologies used in dark tourism and thanatourism scholarship are provided with a focus on the history and critical analysis of the word “dark”. The complexities of thanatourism are discussed so as to illustrate the challenges associated with the site interpretation of the Domvs Romana and Ta’ Bistra Catacombs, as explained in Dr Philip Stone’s dark tourism spectrum. The analysis particularly focuses on the role of the museum in a thanatourism site, with special emphasis on museum content and interpretation. b) This is followed by a chapter dedicated to pedagogy in a thanatourism site, which includes a discussion on how pedagogy has been the foundation for museology and how the former directly impacts museum interpretation. c) The role of a museum in the two thanatourism sites under study is discussed in order to illustrate AHD and museum pedagogy, particularly through the history of the Domvs Romana and the Saracenic graves. The context of traditional interpretation is further discussed in terms of the political role of museums and their content. d) Finally, this dissertation presents the conclusions based on the responses of this study’s participants, who were interviewed to gauge their familiarity with thanatourism and the extent of the critical engagement done with museum interpretation.