The Role of Horror and Dread in the Sacred Experience

Abstract

In this article we seek to add to the debate/discussion into so called ‘Dark Tourism’. While a plethora of studies analyse this phenomenon through binaries such as authentic/inauthentic, we seek here to approach sites of historical death with a less sceptical view. Rather, like others, we understand tourist engagement with ‘dark’ sites as a source of ritualistic engagement. Using the Australian and New Zealand iconic place of Gallipoli in Turkey as a case study, this article will argue that the experience of pilgrims to sites of death is best discussed through the concept of the sacred. However, it is true that these sites can also disturb visitors. Thus, we propose that the often under-utilized figure in sociology, Hertz, can be consulted in order to comprehend how people negotiate places of ‘dark’ properties, particularly those with national or international heritage value.