RETHINKING WAR TOURISM: A PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON RESEARCH CHALLENGES AND THE NATURE OF THE PHENOMENON
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-5843/2026-3-5Keywords:
war tourism, memory, postpositivism, ontology, phenomenology, existentialism, ethics, memorializationAbstract
The relevance of the study: in the context of the full-scale Russia–Ukraine war, there is an urgent need for a philosophical reflection on human interaction with war heritage. The conceptual heterogeneity of war tourism necessitates a solid methodological foundation to interpret the phenomenon as a profound existential and ethical experience. Subject of the study: philosophical and methodological foundations, ontological characteristics, and existential-ethical dimensions of war tourism. Purpose of the study: to conduct a comprehensive philosophical reflection on the essence of war tourism and to substantiate a methodological framework for its interpretation Methodology: the research applies ontological analysis (categories of space, time, and matter), a phenomenological approach (study of intentionality and “epoché”), existential-ethical analysis (concepts of “boundary situations” and responsibility toward “the Other”), and a postpositivist approach (based on the ideas of P. Feyerabend). Research results: it has been revealed that the conceptual ambiguity of war tourism is a natural reflection of the object’s complexity. The ontological status of war tourism is defined by “split temporality” and its functioning within landscape-heterotopias, where material traces of war are actualized through the subject’s intentional act. It is argued that phenomenological reduction in war tourism serves as a tool for stripping perception of everyday stereotypes without negating the ethical distance between the aggressor and the victim. Interaction with war sites is shown to provoke “boundary situations” that transform tourist practice into an internal existential experience that leads to the authenticity of being. Scientific novelty: a philosophical analysis of war tourism has been conducted. The understanding of the war landscape as a “text” requiring hermeneutic decoding has been deepened. The thesis regarding the transformation of the visitor from an observer into a witness, turning memory into an act of ethical resistance to oblivion, has been substantiated. Practical significance: the obtained results can be applied in the development of commemoration strategies, ethical codes for tourism, and museum–memorial projects, as well as in educational programs in anthropology, ethics, tourism and cultural studies. Conclusions: the study confirms that war tourism, in its “higher” forms, is an act of moral involvement and an existential challenge. Future studies should focus on the issues of memorialization and the impact of digital representations of war on the depth of the existential experience.
References
Light, D. (2017). Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research: An uneasy relationship with heritage tourism. Tourism Management, 61(2), 275–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.01.011
Huda, A. (2024). Kontseptualni aspekty voiennoho turyzmu [Conceptual Aspects of War Tourism]. Geographical Journal of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, 3 (3), 124–133. https://doi.org/10.32782/geochasvnu.2024.3.13 [In Ukrainian].
Lennon, J. (2017). Dark Tourism. In H.N. Pontell (Ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.013.212
Seaton, A.V. (1999). War and thanatourism: Waterloo 1815–1914. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(1), 130–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(98)00057-7
Ryan, C. (Ed.). (2007). Battlefield tourism (1st ed.). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080548340
García-Madurga, M.-Á., & Grilló-Méndez, A.-J. (2023). Battlefield Tourism: Exploring the Successful Marriage of History and Unforgettable Experiences: A Systematic Review. Tourism and Hospitality, 4(2), 307–320. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp4020019
Butler, R., & Suntikul, W. (Eds.). (2012). Tourism and war (1st ed.). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203107706
Lushchyk, M. (2021). Pro poniattia ta vydy viiskovoho turyzmu [On the concept and types of military tourism]. Scientific perspectives, 7(13), 241–254. https://doi.org/10.52058/2708-7530-2021-7(13)-241-254 [in Ukrainian].
Shchuka, H., Zhurba, I., & Korobeinykova, Y. (2024). Shliakhy formuvannia propozytsii na rynku viiznoho voiennoho turyzmu v Ukraini [Ways to create supply in the inbound military tourism market in Ukraine]. Economy and Society, 64. https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2024-64-88 [in Ukrainian].
Boiko, V., & Dalevska, N. (2022). Rozvytok turyzmu pislia zbroinykh konfliktiv u riznykh krainakh svitu [Tourism development after violent conflicts in different countries of the world]. Change Management and Innovation, 3, 5–10. https://doi.org/10.32782/CMI/2022-3-1 [in Ukrainian].
Bigley, J. D., Lee, C. K., Chon, J., & Yoon, Y. (2010). Motivations for war-related tourism: A case of DMZ visitors in Korea. Tourism Geographies, 12(3), 371–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2010.494687
Feyerabend, P. K. (1993). Against method (3rd ed.). London: Verso.
Foucault, M., & Miskowiec, J. (1986). Of Other Spaces. Diacritics, 16(1), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.2307/464648
Huda, A. (2025). Memorializatsiia ta voiennyi turyzm: Kontsept i mekhanizmy vzaiemodii [Memorialization and war tourism: Concept and mechanisms of interaction]. Acta Academiae Beregsasiensis: Geographica et Recreatio, 4, 57–66. https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-5843/2025-4-6
[in Ukrainian].
Kant, I. (2000). Krytyka chystoho rozumu [Critique of pure reason] (I. Burkovskyi, Trans.). Kyiv: Universe. (Original work published 1781).
Husserl, E. (1983). Ideas pertaining to a pure phenomenology and to a phenomenological philosophy: First book. General introduction to a pure phenomenology (F. Kersten, Trans.). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. (Original work published 1913).
Jaspers, K. (1970). Philosophy (Vol. 2) (E. B. Ashton, Trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1932).
Levinas, E. (1979). Totality and infinity: An essay on exteriority (A. Lingis, Trans.). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. (Original work published 1961).
