Oriental Rituals and Indian Kroketten: The Orientalising Effects of Thermen Berendonck, Nijmegen
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2025-07-02
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en
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This thesis investigates the cultural communication of Thermen Berendonck, a spa resort located near Nijmegen. The resort purportedly draws inspiration from a blend of narratives found in One Thousand and One Nights and the owners’ personal travels to India and Morocco. However, through an analysis of the resort’s themed spaces, food, and sensory stimuli, as well as interviews with four guests, this study demonstrates that historical European representations of North Africa, West Asia and India also significantly influence the theming. These representations are shaped by “orientalism,” a concept created by Edward Said that describes the tendency of Europeans to imagine Eastern societies as exotic and fundamentally different. Historically, this has been used to reinforce colonial power structures. For some European audiences, depictions of the East continue to evoke connotations of leisure, mystery, and indulgence, which aligns with the resort’s goal of offering relaxation, escape, and an immersive fantasy. The thesis concludes that while Thermen Berendonck’s theming aims for an immersive atmosphere of relaxation, the cultural communication both enhances and disrupts this effect for the visitor.
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Faculteit der Letteren