Children, Young People and Dark Tourism

Mary Margaret Kerr is Professor of Health and Human Development at the University of Pittsburgh, where she founded the Children and Dark Tourism research project. Dr. Kerr’s internationally recognized team, which includes youth as researchers, studies the experiences of young tourists at dark tourism sites. In addition to contributing her expertise on youth coping with mass trauma, Dr. Kerr has pioneered research in child-centered research methods for the tourism field, which historically has overlooked children and youth. Philip R. Stone is Executive Director of the Institute for Dark Tourism Research at the University of Central Lancashire (UK). He is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of 'dark tourism’ and ‘difficult heritage' and has published extensively about the subject. Philip is also a media consultant on dark tourism, with clients including the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. His latest book, the first-ever tourist guidebook dedicated to dark tourism – 111 Dark Tourism Places in England You Shouldn’t Miss (2021) – brings dark tourism scholarship to the public market. Rebecca H. Price writes about the novice researcher experience. She frequently collaborates across disciplines and settings to explore how individuals seek answers to their questions. Her work can be found in library, education, and tourism outlets.

Chapter 1: 'Seen but not heard': Children in (Dark) Tourism Research Agendas – Philip R. Stone

Chapter 2: Young Tourists’ Experiences at Dark Tourism Sites: Toward a Conceptual Framework – Mary Margaret Kerr, Philip R. Stone, and Rebecca H. Price

Chapter 3: The Youngest Tourists: Early Childhood Considerations and Challenges – Sue Dockett

Chapter 4: School-Aged Tourists: Pre-Adolescent and Adolescent Considerations and Challenges – Timothy M. Wagner

Chapter 5: Development of Death Concepts: Childhood and Adolescence: Considerations

for Tourist Experience and Research – Andrea Croom and Gopika Rajanikanth

Chapter 6: Young Tourists with Disabilities: Considerations and Challenges - Cristina Restrepo-Harner, Kristen Marsico, and Mary Margaret Kerr

Chapter 7: Interpretation For Children: Turning Horror and Hurt Into Healing and Hope - Roy Ballantyne, Jan Packer, Karen Hughes and Tobias Broughton

Chapter 8: Understanding Children’s Visits to Difficult Heritage Sites: Children’s Sense of Place – R. Scott Marsh

Chapter 9: Difficult Heritage and the Digital Child: Challenges and Opportunities – Gregory J. Wittig

Chapter 10: ‘Why is it so fun to be scared?’ Entertainment in Dark Tourism – Margee Kerr

Chapter 11: ‘Edutainment’ in Dark Tourism: Towards a Child’s Perspective – Daniel W. M. Wright

Chapter 12: ‘Deconstructing Dark History and Difficult Heritage’: Engaging High School Students in the Use of Historiographical Analysis Techniques – Michael Lovorn

Chapter 13: School Trips: A Unique Form of Student Learning for Dark Tourism Studies – Laura M. Burns and Daniel E. Keller

Chapter 14: Young People and Dark Commemorative Events: The Centenary of World War One in Australia – Jennifer Frost and Warwick Frost

Chapter 15: Identity and Belonging in a Dark Heritage Destination: Perspectives from Local Children – Antonia Canosa and Rebecca H.Price

Chapter 16: Ethical Research with Children and Young People: Addressing Complexities in (Dark) Tourism – Rebecca H. Price

Chapter 17: Research Methods for Studying Young Tourist Experiences – Mary Margaret Kerr, Rebecca Price, and Gopika Rajanikanth

Chapter 18: Research Collaborations with Schools – Mary Margaret Kerr, Cecilia Greene, and R. Scott Marsh

Chapter 19: Co-Research with Youth: A Conceptual Model and Case Study – Rebecca H. Price, Mary Margaret Kerr, and Gopika Rajanikanth

Chapter 20: Epilogue – Philip R. Stone