part of this contribution. Auschwitz, he argues, we have to stop going there.
4/ The social function of
“remembrance tourism”.
Like many other researchers,
Sabine Marschall emphasises
the strong link between tourism
and remembrance: «Tourism
is positioned as an extension of
the process of remembering and
as an act of resistance – against
forgetting and, in some cases,
against the erstwhile act of
erasure» (Marschall, 2015). The question of the uselessness, violence - or
Journeys and visits of places of memory may
involve verification and consolidation of memories,
indecency - that tourism constitutes in places of
memory is also raised since the tourist experience
of visit seems futile and ineffective in transmitting
memory. According to the philosopher transmission
of “what really happened” must be based on other
means: «there are the works of historians, there
are the works of filmmakers, and there are above
all, books, through which the essential part of the
transmission should take place». Elite vision? This
radical criticism, which runs counter to one of the
great justifications of tourism in places of memory,
its pedagogical virtue, is relayed by other historians
underlining the illusion of authenticity (Sophie
Wahnich about Auschwitz, 2011), or the emptiness
and silence of the places. What is the point in
keeping trying to “see” and “experiment”, when the
«camp is naked, abstract, stripped of everything»
(Alain Fielkenkraut, op cit, 2011)?
This reaction to the massification of tourism
corrections of memories distortion, and sometimes of the concentration camp of Auschwitz reveals,
spontaneous recall. «What makes the touristic in an extreme way, the frequent criticism about
journey a unique mechanism of remembrance and tourism associated with places of death, war, and
act of memory work is that it entails motivation and suffering, anchored in ethical perspectives, but
organization, a commitment and determination to also rooted in social representations of tourism and
engage with the past» (Marschall, 2015). tourists: for many observers, tourism can lead to
Yet, the fact tourism may be an extension
processes where tragic events may be trivilialzed or
of the process of remembering appears to be an glamorised, violence and death may be presented
interesting point of discussion and of debate. as entertainment, which may prevent the visitor
Tourism raises many criticisms when associated to connect to the horror of the tragedy. How can
with places of memory, denouncing the “suffocation these places allow visitors or residents to link the
of memory” by consumption practices, commercial past with the present? Does the touristic experience
exploitation and inappropriate behavior of tourists inspire only little reflection for the casual tourist?
in search of the morbid and spectacular. The words And, in another perspective, may tourism provoke
of the French philosopher Alain Filkenkraut, son resentment between previously opposed groups
of a deportee, about Auschwitz in an interview through the constant reminder of the painful past for
given to the French newspaper Télérama in 2011, whose living close?
illustrate this criticism of tourism in a radical way,
that goes as far as its rejection: comparing the
transformation of Auschwitz concentration camp to
a “Djerba of misfortune” invaded by “families”, he
denounces the “great tourist curse” and expresses
his skepticism on the educational value of the trips
to Auschwitz for younger generations. To respect
16
Observing Memories
ISSUE 3