The dead centre of town: tribalism, dark tourism and the quest for belonging in post-earthquake Christchurch, New Zealand

Julius Skiba

doi:10.22582/ta.v11i2.645

Abstract

The dead centre of town: tribalism, dark tourism and the quest for belonging in post-earthquake Christchurch, New Zealand

Highlights

As an anthropology student who moved to the city in May 2018, I soon discovered that the natural disaster had caused far more damage than the quantifiable loss of bricks and mortar
The permanent food trucks are situated the far corner, in front of the old Post people to be gathered in Cathedral Square at any Office building
A more sustainable argument revolves around Christchurch’s subtle social segregation, which results in Cathedral Square being considered a neutral buffer zone by its residents, in much the same way that McKee (2016) describes the wadi that separates Dganim from ‘Ayn al-‘Azm (McKee 2016, pp. 83-93)

Summary

Introduction

Taking inspiration from McKee (2016) and her examination of the Jewish/Bedouin divide in the Negev, this journal documents the subtle segregation of Christchurch through the eyes of a new arrival, identifying the opposing social separations of ‘local’ and ‘outsider’ through the ethnographic observation of Cathedral Square. Christchurch, Cathedral Square provides the perfect vantage point to observe the social relationships within the city. The permanent food trucks are situated the far corner, in front of the old Post people to be gathered in Cathedral Square at any Office building (in red).

Results

Conclusion