Tourists at the Taj

This text presents a sociological analysis of the cultural phenomenon, the Taj Mahal. The author describes the conflicting narratives which surround the site; those which remain rooted in Western post-colonialism, viewing the monument as a symbol of love, of India and of splendid exuberance and those which challenge this ethnocentricity, for whom the Taj is the symbolic centre of Islamic power or a site of Moghul appropriation. It goes on to describe many of the tourist practices around the Taj as well as considering the notion of tourism in a wider context. It concludes with the idea of tourism as "performance" and the tourist site as a "stage" on which tourists are directed and rehearsed as well as being able to improvize cultural conventions, all in the complex production of leisure space.

""In this fascinating study, the author attempts to unravel the multiple narratives of the Taj [Mahal] told and performed by tourists. Edensor is mindful that tourism and ethnography, like colonialism, are forms of intervention, inhabiting a space created by Western power." --Frank J. Korom, Boston Univ. for "Religious Studies Review."..."it certainly makes for a fine text within the cultural study of tourism."-"Annals of Tourism Research "This volume presents a rich mix of description and appli cable theory...well documented discussion on the construction of touristic spaces....Upper-division undergraduates and above."-"Choice, June 1999 ""Tourists at the Taj is a must-read for all who are interested in the phenomenon of tourism, the construction of meanings around sites and sights, and/or contemporary India.it is a fine study that summarizes much of the scholarship on tourism, introduces a useful vocabulary, and articulates the contested nature of sites frequented by tourists. Art historians will find it a thought-provoking work, opening new avenues for exploring not only the intersection between tourism and art history, but also the narratives about monuments.."

Tim Edensor is lecturer and researcher in the department of cultural studies at Staffordshire University. He has researched extensively in tourist practices and popular culture.