An ethnography of Englishness: experiencing identity through tourism

Abstract

Identity as a social construct is one of the key issues for tourism researchers. Yet few studies focus on the ways in which individuals experience identity through tourism. This paper contributes to current debate with an examination of the mechanisms enabling people to experience Englishness at three heritage sites: Battle Abbey, Hever Castle, and Chartwell. In the language of heritage tourism, these sites symbolize fundamental aspects of Englishness and in so doing present the nation as a family, a group of relations with shared history, values and beliefs, and common characteristics. Such felt kinship ties bind individuals to the wider nation.