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Media for remembering: Souvenirs, postcards,
photos
Since the beginning of tourism, travellers
brought back things from abroad.
One reason is the possibility to TRADE these
items, either in
- real terms of selling the actual things
or in
-
symbolic terms of Bourdieu's cultural
capital, by giving them away.
Another reason is to use these things to help
them remembering their visits and their experiences abroad by keeping
them.
Souvenirs:
Souvenirs help to prove your visit to a certain
place and your thoughfullness about other people during your visit. They are
part of the reassurance of social relations.
In different societies this is organized on
different levels of formalization, f.i.
in Japan a clear relations exists
between senbetsu (the
parting gift in kind or symbol) and omiyage (souvenir brought back to
senbetsu giver).
In western society this is less
clear:
The T-shirt of Turin
My parents went to Turin and all I got was
this lousy t-shirt.
After Hans Memling's St.
Veronica.
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The T-shirt of New
Orleans |
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What constitutes a souvenir also differs in
different societies:
- a "typical" item, famous for this destination
versus
- a "special" item, with relation to the person
it is given to.
What will souvenirs
from virtual travel look like: Bookmarks?
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Please show a souvenir you brought with you and tell us
it's story. |
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