Imagining the nation: signifiers of national capital status in Washington, DC and Canberra

Abstract

This paper examines images of nationhood in the capital cities of the USA and Australia – Washington, DC (hereafter referred to as Washington) and Canberra, respectively. The images examined have generally originated from the plans of architects, yet they have been endlessly replicated via images in brochures, websites, postcards and other forms of tourism promotion. This paper examines architectural signifiers of these two national capital cities by undertaking an analysis of significant landmarks and monuments in Washington and Canberra (and how these represent the nation and national identity). Textual analysis, in particular, semiotics (examining how signs generate meaning), is a suitable methodology for deconstructing representations of national imagery. A combination of observational research, secondary research and semiotic analysis is undertaken to analyse the ways in which national identity has been communicated to tourists in the similar capital cities of the USA and Australia. This paper focuses on ‘Representation and National Image/Identity’ and ‘The Role of the Built Environment in Image and Representation’ – two of the research themes identified for this ‘Global Change and Tourism in National Capitals’ special edition of Current Issues in Tourism.