Selling the Past

This article examines the impacts of heritage-tourism on Stratford-upon-Avon, a small town internationally renowned as the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The town's assimilation into the tourist production system makes an important contribution to the local economy, but the marketing of the town generates a number of conflicts concerning the conservation and commodification of place identity. The article focuses on the way that the conservation and promotion of particular local histories and cultures defines the contemporary character of the town as Stratford-upon-Avon becomes increasingly created by, and aimed at, tourists. Nonetheless, as argued here, this Process does not represent a simple transformation of ‘authentic local space’ into ‘inauthentic tourist space’, as the town's historic identity has always been shaped by the interaction of locals and ‘outsiders’. Accordingly, the article concludes by arguing that we need to interpret heritage not so much as ‘bogus history’ but as the outcome of a complex struggle as different groups claim specific identities, memories and histories in particular places.