engleski

Landscape of longing, a place to belong: Different representations of Dubrovnik’s beaches

The beach as a fringe zone located between the land/culture and the sea/nature (Fiske 1983) incorporates the duality of an idyllic image of openness, as well as an image of containment. It is a place of hedonism, refuge and escape from everyday life and a "cultural arena" (Löfgren 2002) intersected with rules, norms and rituals, where the changes of epochs can be traced. As one of the main topoi in the global tourism market, the beach has become a "global beach" with stereotypical images of landscape that may suit any location by the sea anywhere in the world. But beach is also a living, local landscape that coastal communities identify as an area of daily and seasonal activities, of local cultures, histories and specific traditions. As a unique asset with a multitude of already established cultural products, the town of Dubrovnik has not withstood this duality, because its seashore, along with the historic center, is the most popular tourist attraction. The coexistence of different representations will be shown on the example of some of the oldest Dubrovnik beaches located within or near the town walls. On the one hand, there is the historical continuity of Dubrovnik bathing culture and its beaches as a part of urban social life, and on the other, the representation of the beach landscape in Dubrovnik's tourist promotion. The historic town center serves as the backdrop, increasing the attractiveness of the offer of Dubrovnik's "sun and sea", while the local tradition of beach culture is mentioned only as a curiosity in the destination branding. This coexistence, as well as the constant juxtaposition of these two representations of Dubrovnik beaches – a landscape of longing, anonymity, leisure and hedonism versus a place of belonging for the local community – will be shown through a historical analysis of written (newspapers, tourist brochures) and visual material (collections of photographs and postcards) from the Dubrovnik archives.

beach; beach cultures; landscapes; Dubrovnik

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