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English-ness: Tourist Literature & Images. Identity Representation of England and the English in writing and images. Manchester Metropolitan University 19th-20th July 2007 4th International Conference of the Institute for the Study of Englishness Further details from: www.iise.co.uk http://web.mac.com/theorists/iWEB/IISE email: [log in to unmask] We invite proposals between 200-250 words for a 40 minute paper - Deadline is 30th March 2007. We appreciate the following organizations for their support Midrash Publishing. **PLEASE NOTE** We will publish a selection of papers in the Journal Identity, Self & Symbolism. Other papers are to be published in a book. England is the main destination for incoming tourists. Many come In Search of England; the English-ness as expressed in legends, novels, poems, drama, music, cinema and television. Where travel writers once represented the world outside England contemporary media now represent England to the world. The written and visual provide the vehicle to convey an aesthetically arranged combination of signifiers of English-ness. Destination selection, among the many competing places to visit, is based on the representation of places and promises of experiences to be enjoyed. The vignettes provided through various media provide possibilities to re-trace histories that shaped the modern world and at the same time partake in an enjoyable holiday. For a short time it is possible to be among a people and it’s places made knowable through it’s literature and media / entertainment industries. Tourism and national imagery are export products. Heritage and English-ness concepts are difficult to define or describe. Just what English-ness is, is a major problem. But whatever it is, it has a remarkable power to seduce tourists to visit Britain. English-ness, as represented in dominant narratives, is presented as a way of living that sets a standard for others. It encompasses notions of good governance, civility, manners, public welfare, humanity, tolerance and decency. Briton’s imperial past has ensured that the narrative tells of progress; from the inhumanity of industrialisation and unregulated urbanization to civilization and democratic citizenship. Such representations have real power: English-ness is an essentially political notion. It is not an empty system of symbols. The places most often visited are real. As physical entities they are both representative and actual. They communicate the notions of English-ness; of the ways in which the dominant narrative intends English-ness to be received (eg, Buckingham Palace). Many are also places of work; accommodating activities said to be essentially English (eg, Houses of Parliament). Identity, in terms of English-ness, is not therefore merely imagined. This conference aims to critically examine the relationship between the imagined and real in terms of the ways in which actual and possible tourist destinations are, and could, represented as embodying English-ness. How can we understand the role of travel writing, past and present, on the development of notions of England? What kinds of reception have tourists of signifiers of England and English-ness? What part does the attachment of values play in the promotion of English-ness? Why are particular places, buildings and symbols regarded as core to the meta-narratives of English-ness? In what ways can and have sub-texts been developed to expand the attraction of England as a destination? In what ways can promotional materials be evaluated as texts carrying the message of English-ness?