The conservation of cultural heritage can be very difficult when commemorating recent events and even more difficult when it deals with sites of cultural tragedy and related tourism (so called ‘dark tourism’).
This is especially true of cultural heritage and tourism associated with the Holocaust. In this presentation, we will examine tourism of Holocaust sites and how cultural heritage teaches us about our history.
We will also look at how heritage sites have evolved over time to more effectively tell those stories. In doing so, we will use the example of a CCSU ‘Central Discover Abroad’ program on Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Memory which is scheduled to take place in June 2026.
Dr. Brian Sommers is a professor of geography at Central Connecticut State University. In addition to that role, Dr. Sommers is also the chair of the geography department as well as the co-director of the international studies program here at Central. He has also served as the interim dean of the Carol A. Ammon College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, here he served as the chief academic and administrative officer
for departments and programs in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. This included 17 academic departments, 209 full-time faculty/staff, and 65 academic programs (43 undergraduate, 14 graduate and 8 certificate) housed in the college.