This thesis offers new models for participatory and performative interventions in sites of heritage tourism through a theorized practical engagement. Drawing on both Tourism Studies and Performance Studies, the primary aim of these interventions is to reveal and provoke ways of seeing and using these sites as places of multiple meanings rather than as ones constricted and bounded by normative heritage narratives in their production and management. The experimental phase of the project discussed in the thesis includes three contrasting case studies: GeoQuest, Sardine Street, and Water Walk. These are each analysed and evaluated through my development of a ‘mythogeographic’ framework that includes the performative techniques of layering, rhizomatic interweaving, the making of 'anywheres' and the self-mythologising of the activist. The thesis charts a trajectory through praxis, from developing models for ambulatory, signage-based and ‘mis-guided’ interventions to be undertaken by performance ‘specialists’, towards a dispersal of their tactics for use by heritage tourists in general. It thus describes a related change in the balance of the research methodology from ethnographic participant observation towards practice-as-research (PaR), the latter of which both generated and enacted knowledge and understanding. This PaR took the form of various visits and forays to and across heritage sites and landscape, and also the production of a ‘toolkit’ of handbook, pocketbook, website and online short films for the dispersal of tactics and a strategy that is eventually called ‘counter-tourism’. The thesis thus includes the publications A Sardine Street box of tricks, Counter-tourism: the handbook, Counter-tourism: a pocketbook and the DVD, Tactics for counter-tourism, as well as their fully theorized critical contextualisation. These represent a PaR enquiry that attempts to creatively express my research findings from productions made in the field through a popular form of writing and presentation that is capable of inspiring general, ‘non-specialist’ tourists to make their own performance interventions in heritage sites.

The current paper presents a study conducted at CERN, Switzerland, to investigate visitors' and tour guides' use and appreciation of existing panels at visit itinerary points. The results were used to develop a set of recommendations for constructing optimal panels to assist the guides' explanation.

Tourist guides are located at the coalface of the tourism industry and occupy an extraordinary position within the contemporary demand and supply chain, seeing that they have the ability to enhance, manage and orchestrate the tourists sought after “unique” experience through their interpretation and commentary on tour. Within this context, most regard the tourist guide as an “ambassador” and “custodian” of a specific country‟s destination image – with India being no exception. This dissertation explores the complexity and multifaceted-nature of the tourist guiding phenomenon in a global South context, by considering the tourist guide of India as an international tourist guiding best practice example. The investigation will also evaluate key components and practical areas of India‟s tourist guiding domain. That consists of the country‟s national tourism and tourist guiding environments, legislative and regulatory frameworks, educational and training components, quality assurance mechanisms, as well as all other integral functional areas associated with the sector. These various research areas, along with the genesis of guiding, the various roles and responsibilities of a tourist guide, and the contextualisation of “international tourist guiding best practice”, all form the main components of the dissertation. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Historical and Heritage Studies / MSocSci / Unrestricted

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This dissertation explores the regimes of truth surrounding Muslims in Sweden. The main focus lies on the production of knowledge regarding Muslims in the context of the guided tours of a mosque in Stockholm. Special attention is given to how regimes of truth regarding Muslims inform the conversations during the visits, how they are debated in this particular arena and how that is dependent on positionality. It is a situation in which a Muslim, in the position of the guide, has an opportunity to present alternative storylines, or stories, about who Muslims are and what they do. The visitors for their part can assess, respond to and challenge those stories. In other words, the study explores who can speak with authority. The study is based mainly on participant observations made during 14 guided tours from 2003-2006 and on interviews with guides and visitors regarding their experiences on the respective tours. Most of the visitor groups were making study visits as a part of educational training. Seven of these were in primary and secondary education and two of them at the college level. Four groups came from social clubs at a workplace or from interest groups, and one was organised by Stockholm City Museum. To frame and contextualise the tours I have furthermore used data from mass media, mainly press clippings, but also features from TV shows. Other categories have been archival data, leaflets and brochures handed out at the mosque, as well as fictional books and a mailing list for Muslims. These sources have helped me discern regimes of truth that are, and are not, articulated on the guided tours. The central results concern the fact that the guides see the tours as a chance to alter other stories about Muslims and allow the visitors who tour the mosque to hear something that is not mediated or taught in school; however, they experience difficulties in terms of gaining credibility with regard to their presentation of alternative stories. Even when the guides talk about their private life, as is often the case, they are challenged and sometimes mistrusted. The guides, and hosts, use their private lives to explain their position in Sweden, but the visitors also expect them to expose their personal opinions regarding how they, as Muslims, would act in morally difficult scenarios; thus, the tours present a situation where the visitors seem more comfortable than the hosts. Another significant result is that both the guides and visitors expressed the importance of the tours becoming a respectful meeting place. Religiosity, religion and secularism seem in themselves to represent otherness. What is respectful in practice, however, is not very clear. There is an ongoing debate in Swedish society concerning whether it is respectful to shake hands with a Muslim in a working situation, as is customary in Sweden. Moreover, the showing of respect is given a gender dimension on the tours, since the main way to perform respect is for every woman to wear a robe when entering the mosque. Respect as a practice seems to be mired in social inequality. It seems difficult to become a guest if you are simultaneously appropriated the position of a Swede, and difficult to pass as a host if you position yourself as a Muslim.

This paper presents the study of guided tours at the University Museum of Art (MUnA) between 1998 and 2011. The study is based on the memories reported by the tour guides, who are students and teachers of the Visual Art course of Federal University of Uberlandia. The tour guides reports were important methodological tools in analyzing the goals, dynamics and strategies employed in the educational practices of communication between the visitor and the art. The author selected relevant episodes in the educational path of MUnA, through which it is possible to identify MUnA s development. Its development showed that despite changing tour guides and different administrative attitudes, MUnA created activities around its public space; for example, the exhibition gallery, auditorium and courtyard and studio. On these three spaces, throughout thirteen years, a variety of tours occurred. First, in the gallery was appreciation and interaction with the art work. Secondly, in the auditorium and courtyard was exhibition theme reflection and Museum rules. Finally, in the studio was hands on plastic creativity. In conclusion, this research is intended to identify and analyze the guided tours and suggest ideas to assist in developing new plans and strategies for MUnA. / O presente trabalho apresenta o estudo das práticas de mediação em exposições realizadas no MUnA (Museu Universitário de Arte), entre os anos de 1998 a 2011. Para a pesquisa foram utilizadas as memórias relatadas dos mediadores, obtidas através de entrevistas, artigos, relatórios e projetos. Os relatos utilizados na pesquisa foram importantes ferramentas metodológicas para analisar os objetivos, as dinâmicas e as estratégias empregados nas práticas educativas de comunicação entre o visitante e a arte exposta. O estudo aborda alguns episódios relevantes na trajetória das práticas do educativo do MUnA, a partir dos quais é possível identificar o seu desenvolvimento perante a constante rotatividade dos discentes e dos docentes e também as atitudes das distintas gestões administrativas. Apesar dessas variações, foi observado que as atividades sempre se desenvolveram em torno do próprio espaço em que o MUnA disponibiliza para o público, como: galeria de exposição, auditório, oficina e pátio. As diversas mediações realizadas ao longo desses treze anos têm como característica principal a distinção de ações para cada um destes espaços. Na galeria de exposição, prevê-se a leitura e a interação com as produções artísticas. No auditório ou no pátio, supõe-se a reflexão sobre a temática expositiva e a introdução sobre a história e as normas do Museu. A oficina sugere a criação plástica. O resultado final desta pesquisa não é apenas identificar e analisar as mediações em exposição, mas sugerir ideias e proporcionar reflexões que possam auxiliar no desenvolvimento de novos planos e estratégias. / Mestre em Artes