Title: Tourists at the Taj
First published: 1998
Description: The Taj Mahal has long been a subject for photography and poetry, but this book presents the first sociological analysis of the Taj as a cultural phenomenon. Tim Edensor examines the conflicting narratives which surround the site: postcolonial views of the monument as a symbol of love, of India and of splendid exuberance; and those which challenge this ethnocentricity, for whom the Taj is the symbolic center of Islamic power or a site of Moghul appropriation. He discusses many of the tourist practices around the Taj and considers the notion of tourism in a wider context. Clearly written and fascinatingly illustrated, this book describes tourism as "performance" and the tourist site as a "stage" on which tourists are directed and rehearsed, improvising cultural conventions in the complex production of leisure space.--Publisher description.
Subjects: Public opinion, Politics and government, Symbolism in architecture, Taj Mahal (Agra, India), Architecture and state, Popular culture, Civilization, British influences, Colonies, Tourism, Popular culture, india, Symbolism in art, Great britain, colonies, India, civilization, India, politics and government, 1765-1947, Public opinion, india, Tāj Mahal (Āgra, Inde), Culture populaire, Architecture, Politique gouvernementale, Symbolisme en architecture, Politique et gouvernement, Opinion publique, HISTORY, British colonies, Toerisme, Toeristenindustrie, Cultuursociologie, Bouwkunst
Places: India, Great Britain
Time periods: 1765-1947
LC classification: DS486.A3 E34 1998