Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail”
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Sourtoe Cocktail, a custom in Dawson City, Canada’s Yukon, in which participants drink a shot of alcohol with a dehydrated human toe in it. Springing from a local legend, the thrill-inducing Sourtoe Cocktail has attracted the attention of touris...
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Emerald Publishing
2020
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 https://doaj.org/article/d5677130bed5425982b14eae98e8538a |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d5677130bed5425982b14eae98e8538a 2023-05-15T14:48:24+02:00 Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” Elizabeth Ann Cooper Michelle Spinei Alix Varnajot 2020-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 https://doaj.org/article/d5677130bed5425982b14eae98e8538a EN eng Emerald Publishing https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008/full/pdf?title=countering-arctification-dawson-citys-sourtoe-cocktail https://doaj.org/toc/2055-5911 https://doaj.org/toc/2055-592X 2055-5911 2055-592X doi:10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 https://doaj.org/article/d5677130bed5425982b14eae98e8538a Journal of Tourism Futures, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 70-82 (2020) sustainability tourist experience arctic tourism arctification sight sacralization Social Sciences H article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 2022-12-30T23:36:57Z Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Sourtoe Cocktail, a custom in Dawson City, Canada’s Yukon, in which participants drink a shot of alcohol with a dehydrated human toe in it. Springing from a local legend, the thrill-inducing Sourtoe Cocktail has attracted the attention of tourists. The paper reveals insights from this particular case study in order to discuss potential future tourism trends within the Arctic, especially in regard to the development of a sustainable tourism industry. Additionally, it illustrates how local communities can avoid negative effects of “Arctification.” Design/methodology/approach - The case study is deconstructed through Dean MacCannell’s (1976) framework of sight sacralization. The Sourtoe Cocktail is analyzed based on the five stages of the framework, which helps to reveal the various elements at play at the local level. The framework specifically highlights linkages between society and the Sourtoe Cocktail as a product in order to understand how it became a tourist attraction. Findings - The use of MacCannell’s sight sacralization framework reveals the intricate relationship of the Sourtoe Cocktail to both the Arctic and the local folklore of the Klondike Gold Rush. In addition, it is argued that the activity can serve as an example of avoiding “Arctification” processes for northern communities. Originality/value - The originality of the study lies in the application of the sight sacralization framework to an ordinary object – a toe – instead of an object of inherent historical, aesthetic or cultural value. The paper proposes a complementary study to the recommendations provided in the Arctic Tourism in Times of Change: Seasonality report (2019) for the development of sustainable Arctic societies. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Dawson Yukon Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Yukon Dawson City ENVELOPE(-139.433,-139.433,64.060,64.060) Journal of Tourism Futures 6 1 70 82 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
sustainability tourist experience arctic tourism arctification sight sacralization Social Sciences H |
spellingShingle |
sustainability tourist experience arctic tourism arctification sight sacralization Social Sciences H Elizabeth Ann Cooper Michelle Spinei Alix Varnajot Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” |
topic_facet |
sustainability tourist experience arctic tourism arctification sight sacralization Social Sciences H |
description |
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Sourtoe Cocktail, a custom in Dawson City, Canada’s Yukon, in which participants drink a shot of alcohol with a dehydrated human toe in it. Springing from a local legend, the thrill-inducing Sourtoe Cocktail has attracted the attention of tourists. The paper reveals insights from this particular case study in order to discuss potential future tourism trends within the Arctic, especially in regard to the development of a sustainable tourism industry. Additionally, it illustrates how local communities can avoid negative effects of “Arctification.” Design/methodology/approach - The case study is deconstructed through Dean MacCannell’s (1976) framework of sight sacralization. The Sourtoe Cocktail is analyzed based on the five stages of the framework, which helps to reveal the various elements at play at the local level. The framework specifically highlights linkages between society and the Sourtoe Cocktail as a product in order to understand how it became a tourist attraction. Findings - The use of MacCannell’s sight sacralization framework reveals the intricate relationship of the Sourtoe Cocktail to both the Arctic and the local folklore of the Klondike Gold Rush. In addition, it is argued that the activity can serve as an example of avoiding “Arctification” processes for northern communities. Originality/value - The originality of the study lies in the application of the sight sacralization framework to an ordinary object – a toe – instead of an object of inherent historical, aesthetic or cultural value. The paper proposes a complementary study to the recommendations provided in the Arctic Tourism in Times of Change: Seasonality report (2019) for the development of sustainable Arctic societies. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Elizabeth Ann Cooper Michelle Spinei Alix Varnajot |
author_facet |
Elizabeth Ann Cooper Michelle Spinei Alix Varnajot |
author_sort |
Elizabeth Ann Cooper |
title |
Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” |
title_short |
Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” |
title_full |
Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” |
title_fullStr |
Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” |
title_full_unstemmed |
Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail” |
title_sort |
countering “arctification”: dawson city’s “sourtoe cocktail” |
publisher |
Emerald Publishing |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 https://doaj.org/article/d5677130bed5425982b14eae98e8538a |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-139.433,-139.433,64.060,64.060) |
geographic |
Arctic Yukon Dawson City |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Yukon Dawson City |
genre |
Arctic Dawson Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic Dawson Yukon |
op_source |
Journal of Tourism Futures, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 70-82 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008/full/pdf?title=countering-arctification-dawson-citys-sourtoe-cocktail https://doaj.org/toc/2055-5911 https://doaj.org/toc/2055-592X 2055-5911 2055-592X doi:10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 https://doaj.org/article/d5677130bed5425982b14eae98e8538a |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2019-0008 |
container_title |
Journal of Tourism Futures |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
70 |
op_container_end_page |
82 |
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1766319477427798016 |