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Memorable children's narratives immerse readers in imaginary worlds that bring them into the story. Some of these places have been constructed in the real world--like Pinocchio's Tuscany or Anne of Green Gables'Prince Edward Island--where visitors relive their favorite childhood tales. Theme parks like Walt Disney World and Harry Potter World use technology to engineer enchanting environments that reconnect visitors with beloved fictional settings and characters in new ways. This collection of new essays explores the imagined places we loved as kids, with a focus on the meaning of setting and its power to shape the way we view the world.

Food and architecture, the two pillars of human civilization, have intertwined to such extents to sustain the civilization itself, that the connection between the two has visually ceased to exist. The apparent diverse fields of human life have worked upon similar principles through ages from the beginning of mankind and they complemented our existence.Food is fundamental to cross-cultural studies of behavior, thought, and imagery. We eat for many reasons than just to satisfy our appetite. The act of eating is now a way of socializing with others. Hence all major institutes of food service are trying hard to amaze their users with a built environment that complements the served delicacy. Although most of the users might not understand the thought consciously but subconscious mind keeps alarming when things don't fall in place.The book surfs through all the aspects of such two diverse fields and tries to show a parallel through a very socialistic and holistic perspective. It's interesting to understand the intangible logics behind the very tangible aspects of human life.

Seit den 1990er Jahren haben thematisierte Freizeit- und Konsumeinrichtungen weltweit einen Boom erlebt - von Themenparks und Themenhotels über Urban Entertainment Center und Markenerlebniswelten bis hin zu Erlebnis-Zoos. Angesichts ihres Erfolgs dienen diese kommerziellen Themenwelten zunehmend auch als Vorbilder für öffentliche Akteure - z. B. Kultureinrichtungen, Städte und Tourismusdestinationen. Worauf basiert der Erfolg der thematisierten Erlebnisangebote? Welche Inszenierungstechniken und Marketingmaßnahmen kommen zum Einsatz? Wie wird sich der Markt der Themenwelten künftig entwickeln? Welche Trends zeichnen sich bei der Thematisierung des realen Raumes ab? Antworten auf diese Fragen gibt das aktuelle und umfassende Studienbuch - die erste deutschsprachige Monographie zu diesem Thema.

The Themed Space: Locating Culture, Nation, and Self is the first edited collection focused on the significance of the theme space. The first section of the text discusses the ways in which theming acts as a form of authenticity. Included are articles on the theme park Dollywood, the historic Coney Island, the uses of theming in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Las Vegas Strip. Section two considers theming as a reflection of nation, and its authors focus on Chinese theme parks and shopping malls, the Lost City theme park in South Africa, and the Ain Diab resort district in Casablanca. The third section of the book illustrates how theming often targets the person—whether famous or everyday. The authors look at spaces ranging from the Liverpool John Lennon Airport, love hotels in Japan, and the Houston, Texas theme park AstroWorld. The final section emphasizes theming as a projection of the mind and psychology. The authors focus on behind-the-scenes tourism at Universal Studios and the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, the use of theming in unexpected spaces like Florida themed clinics, theming in virtual reality spaces of video games, and the social controversies related to theming in various parts of the world. The book includes a comprehensive bibliography on theming and a list of key terms. The Themed Space is of great interest to students of all levels and scholars of anthropology, urban studies and sociology.

Performing Consumers is an exploration of the way in which brands insinuate themselves into the lives of ordinary people who encounter them at branded superstores. Looking at our performative desire to ‘try on'otherness, Maurya Wickstrom employs five American brandscapes to serve as case studies: Ralph Lauren; Niketown; American Girl Place; Disney store and The Lion King; and The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. In this post-product era, each builds for the performer/consumer an intensely pleasurable, somatic experience of merging into the brand and reappearing as the brand, or the brand's fictional meanings.To understand this embodiment as the way that capital is producing subjectivity as an aspect of itself, Wickstrom casts a wide net, drawing on: the history of capital's relationship with theatre political developments in the United States recent work in political science, philosophy, and performance studies. An adventurous study of theatrical indeterminancy and material culture, Performing Consumers brilliantly takes corporate culture to task.