Journeys of Expression VII

Celebrating the Edges of the World: Tourism and Festivals of the Coast and Sea

 February 29 - March 1 2008

Venue: University of Iceland, Reykjavík

Journeys of Expression VII will bring together researchers who share interests in festivals, cultural events and associated tourism in coastal settings. The conference encourages contributions from contrasting but related theoretical and conceptual approaches from the social sciences and humanities.

Communities inhabiting coastal settlements around the world have long celebrated the harvest of the sea and have appeased and appealed to the Gods of the oceans through festivals and events. The coast has also been the focus of tourist activity for many years as a liminal space for recreation, whether in large scale seaside resorts, remote and beautiful coastal areas as ports of (dis)embarkation for cruise passengers, or in fishing harbours. Here tourists may encounter community celebrations and festivities incidentally, or as packaged by tourism and cultural agencies.

The phenomenon of coastal festivals and associated tourism suggests a number of themes of interest to this conference. These include:

·          Ritual and festivity in the liminal spaces of the seaside

·          Festivals and performances of ocean produce

·          Worshipping the Gods of the sea and associated touristic commodification

·          The role of festivals in the development, decline and regeneration of seaside resort areas

·          Encounters between natural and cultural worlds

·          Fishing festivals in times of abundance and scarcity

·          Port and harbour festivals as celebrations of cosmopolitanism

·          Cruise ports and cultural events

·          Maritime celebrations of shipping and ‘sea-power’

In the tradition of the Journeys of Expression conference series, we wish to encourage an interdisciplinary debate on the suggested themes and welcome paper proposals from academics from various disciplinary backgrounds including: tourism studies, geography, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, history, art, architecture, marine archaeology, politics, etc.

If you wish to submit a paper proposal, please send a 300-word abstract with full address and institutional affiliation details as an electronic file to Dr. Philip Long ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The deadline for the reception of abstracts is 14^th December 2007. Please find regularly updated information regarding this conference, registration procedures and (at a later stage) a programme at our website www.tourism-culture.com.

Organisers: Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK; and Geography Department, University of Iceland

Partners: Visit Reykjavík; and the International Festivals and Events Association Europe (IFEA)

In association with: Icelandic Tourism Research Institute; and University of Akureyri, Iceland

Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change, Faculty of Arts and Society, Leeds Metropolitan University, Old School Board, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 3ED, United Kingdom, Phone +44 (0) 113- 2838541, Fax +44 (0) 113- 2838544, Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it