On a wet dark Thursday evening, TMRC and CTaGJ hosted a joint research seminar on the theme of Dark Tourism in Hamilton House. The interdisciplinary inter-institution event saw the attendance of around 50 and our TMRC old friends James Kennell (University of Surrey) and Jelena Farkić (Breda University of Applied Sciences), who hosted and presented, respectively.
The event kicked off with welcomes by centre directors Nikki MacLeod and Michael Fiddler. Brianna Wyatt (Oxford Brookes University) then took the audience through definitions of dark tourism and edutainment. This was followed by Fiona Snailham presenting on Spectres of Crime and spring-heeled Jack the Ripper.
Moving to the theme of provocative interventions, presenting third was Theo Kindynis (Goldsmiths), who spoke on ghost criminology, parapolitics, and grand conspiracies within the fossil fuel industry. Jelena Farkic then presented about absence and spectrality at exclusion zones like Chornobyl.
Finally, Andrew King capped off the event using a critique of the Sweeney Todd publication to examine historical geography in the city of London. Space, economics, ghosts.
