Azerbaijan Youth Culture and Its Influence on Their Dark Tourism Experiences

Abstract

In this article, the youth culture of Azerbaijan people has been explored in terms of their experiences at dark sites and perceptions of those places. The particularity of this research is that it explores dark site experiences and youth perceptions of thanatological attractions in a Muslim-majority country where more than 90% of population follow Islamic laws and regulations. For this, young visitors of a genocide site have been interviewed who were identified with different cultural values and norms despite living in the same Muslim society. Depending on their cultural identity, three different experiences were revealed during the research. These experiences include spiritual, heritage and learning with a stimulating impact on making social changes. The key findings of this research work indicate that the variety of dark site experiences depends on the culture and values held by young people. Limitations are discussed, and suggestions are made on expanding the research in different dark suppliers and exploring visitor experiences that have personal attachment to the dark site.