Adam Grydehøj (2011): Negotiating heritage and tradition: identity and cultural tourism in Ærø, Denmark, Journal of Heritage Tourism, DOI:10.1080/1743873X.2011.632484 Negotiating heritage and t radition: identity and cultural tourism in Ærø, Denmark Adam Grydehøj Island Dynamics, Whitstable, UK E-mail: agrydehoj@islanddynamics.org Abstract: Ronström’s tradition/heritage dichotomy is used to explore issues of cultural inheritance in the Danish island of Ærø. The 2006 publication of Carsten Jensen’ s best-selling historical novel We, the Drowned turned the Baltic Sea village of Marstal into Denmark’ s best-known maritime community. Locally, however, there had long been a tradition of Marstallers contrasting their community ’ s seafaring past to the reputedly agrarian identity of the island’ s other main village, the former market town of Ærøskøbing. The community rivalry between industrial Marstal and tourist-friendly, half- timbered Ærøskøbing finds expression in the two villages’ various tourist attractions. Jensen’ s novel has been embraced by both Marstallers and Danes in general, renewing interest in local traditions and the encouraging Marstal’ s development as a heritage town. Although We, the Drowned has become a tool for constructing community solidarity, it has also introduced a mode of heritage tourism that may clash with elements of the local identity. Keywords: Ærø; islands; cultural tourism; heritage; tradition; Denmark This is an electronic version of an article published in Adam Grydehøj (2011): Negotiating heritage and tradition: identity and cultural tourism in Ærø, Denmark, Journal of Heritage Tourism, DOI:10.1080/1743873X.2011.632484. Journal of Heritage Studies is available online at: www.tandfonline.com . The official version of this article is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2011.632484 .