Narratives of Human-Environmental Relations. Tour Guiding in the Anthropocene
Join us for an engaging seminar exploring how tour guides, as key mediators in the Anthropocene, shape place-based stories and help destinations respond to environmental change.
Since the 18th century, the Austrian Salzkammergut region has been defined by its distinctive alpine landscape. Tourism here relies heavily on these natural resources, yet climate change and environmental pressures now threaten them. Consequently, human–environment relations have become central to destination storytelling. The 2024 European Capital of Culture celebration illustrates this shift: event-driven regeneration highlighted how integrating human–environment narratives enhances storytelling and supports sustainable tourism development.
This seminar will:
- Examine how tour guides negotiate human–environment relations in constructing place-based narratives
- Discuss insights applicable to tour guiding in other regions.
Drawing on ethnographic research - including interviews and observations of guided tours - the presentation introduces an analytical framework centered on stories, practices, and perspectives in tour guiding.
Bio
Dr Barbara Grabher is a trained Anthropologist with a specialisation in Gender Studies and interest in Critical Event Studies. With this background, she investigates event-based urban/ regional regeneration and associated socio-cultural value negotiations.
Her educational trajectory is informed by the Universities of Vienna (BA), Granada (MA), Utrecht (MA), Oviedo (PhD) and Hull (PhD). In 2020, she completed her doctoral research project, Gendering Cities of Culture, investigating the case studies of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 and Donostia/San Sebastian European Capital of Culture 2016 in their potential to negotiate of cultures of gender equality. After a two-year postdoctoral phase at the University of Graz (2020-2022), she joined University of Brighton as a Lecturer in October 2022 and researches and teaches in the context of Event and Tourism Studies/ Management.
Barbara Grabher is leading the Research Excellence Group on Tourism, Inclusion, Events and Society and acts as the Early Career Ambassador for University of Brighton.
For her publications, please visit University of Brighton
The seminar is organised by the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Sustainable Tourism (KEST)