New Publication about University Ghost Tours

The journal Tourism Culture & Communication is publishing Dr. Hammonds' article, The Haunted History of the University of Oklahoma, in their Fall 2023 issue (Vol 23, #2). The article is based on a year's worth of ethnographic research on ghost tours in Norman, Oklahoma and an additional two years worth of analysis, validity checking, and writing. Initial findings from the study were presented at the National Communication Association and the analysis was refined through feedback from the conference. The study examines how ghost tours may preserve the real, documented unseemly histories of a space - including racist and sexist aggression - under the guise of a fantastical "ghost story." In the case of OU, the ghost tour offers stories of the campus not included in the main/official campus tour. These stories both share hopeful and empowering alternate narratives, such as the historic achievements of women professors, as well as warnings about ongoing aggressions, like buildings and streets being named after known racist leaders. As a result, the ghost tour uses entertainment to invite people to learn lesser-known context for the University campus. Article pre-print information is available here at TCC's website: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/tcc/pre-prints/content-23130

Special thanks to Jeff Provine for his work on the OU ghost tours and willingness to help with the study. You can find more about his work as both a teacher and ghost tour guide at his website: http://www.jeffprovine.com/