This chapter introduces the preliminary findings from qualitative research in progress about tourism in Venice. Venice has always been a hugely significant tourist destination. Although cultural, recreational and touristic activities are mostly visually oriented, there have been few studies about this issue. The objective of our research is to document and analyse the social practices and activities of tourists (how they visit the city) and the visual representations of Venice (the icons of this city). We rely on a multiple-method approach, combining photographic and video fieldwork based on grounded theory with interviews with residents and tourists about the meaning of their behaviours using the technique of photoelicitation. The first part consists of research about touristic activities using video and photographic techniques and research on visual signs in an urban context. The second part of this research involves photo-elicitation interviews and focus groups to collect the subjective opinions of tourists and residents and to determine their implicit and explicit knowledge about images of Venice. We analyse visual material produced by tourists and proposed by cultural industries and mass media, focusing on content, styles and meanings. The purpose is to document and analyse social practices among tourists and residents and to consider visual representations of Venice in the cycle of production and iconic touristic consumption (Urry, 1990b; MacCannell, 1999). The questions and hypotheses that trigger our curiosity and sociological imagination concern what and how tourists see, what they would like to see, what they expect to see and how they are conditioned by their imagination. For example, how do visitors approach the iconic and cultural capital of the city? What negotiations are there among inhabitants (residents, workers, institutions) and tourists about images of Venice? What practices of production, communication and visual consumption take place? The first partial results of this research include qualitative analysis of around 1000 photographs, 4 h of video, some unstructured texts (transcriptions of focus groups and conversations) and 30 interviews.

Integrating multiple research methods: A visual sociology approach to Venice

PARMEGGIANI, Paolo
2010-01-01

Abstract

This chapter introduces the preliminary findings from qualitative research in progress about tourism in Venice. Venice has always been a hugely significant tourist destination. Although cultural, recreational and touristic activities are mostly visually oriented, there have been few studies about this issue. The objective of our research is to document and analyse the social practices and activities of tourists (how they visit the city) and the visual representations of Venice (the icons of this city). We rely on a multiple-method approach, combining photographic and video fieldwork based on grounded theory with interviews with residents and tourists about the meaning of their behaviours using the technique of photoelicitation. The first part consists of research about touristic activities using video and photographic techniques and research on visual signs in an urban context. The second part of this research involves photo-elicitation interviews and focus groups to collect the subjective opinions of tourists and residents and to determine their implicit and explicit knowledge about images of Venice. We analyse visual material produced by tourists and proposed by cultural industries and mass media, focusing on content, styles and meanings. The purpose is to document and analyse social practices among tourists and residents and to consider visual representations of Venice in the cycle of production and iconic touristic consumption (Urry, 1990b; MacCannell, 1999). The questions and hypotheses that trigger our curiosity and sociological imagination concern what and how tourists see, what they would like to see, what they expect to see and how they are conditioned by their imagination. For example, how do visitors approach the iconic and cultural capital of the city? What negotiations are there among inhabitants (residents, workers, institutions) and tourists about images of Venice? What practices of production, communication and visual consumption take place? The first partial results of this research include qualitative analysis of around 1000 photographs, 4 h of video, some unstructured texts (transcriptions of focus groups and conversations) and 30 interviews.
2010
9781845936112
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11390/864477
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