Power, Politics and International Events: Socio-cultural Analyses of Festivals and Spectacles

Description

Although the event management field has grown considerably over the last decade, critical, social-scientific studies of the international events industry are rare. This book intends to help fill this void. It focuses on power, social and political relations, conflicts and controversies in the context of international events, popular festivals and famous spectacles. It draws on recent primary research and offers a diverse range of new and intriguing case studies, for example the Arirang Festival in North Korea, the Gay Games, the Gymnaestrada, horse-racing events, the London 2012 Olympics, regional and rural festivals, the World Baseball Classic, World Fairs/Expos and U2 concerts. The main aim of this volume is to bring the critical, social-scientific analysis of events, festivals and spectacles more into the core of the teaching of events management degree programmes. The book draws extensively upon the disciplines of politics, sociology, cultural studies and history. In the process, it addresses key themes such as: • political economy • politics of popular culture • the global and the local • regionalism and globalization • nations and nationalism • international relations and foreign policy. This groundbreaking collection of essays is unique and innovative. It will be an essential source for students, researchers and academics with a keen interest in critical, social-scientific analyses of events. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Table of Contents......Page 8 Notes on contributors......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 14 Part I: Introduction......Page 16 1. The critical, social-scientific study of international events: power, politics and conflicts......Page 18 Contested mega events in 2012: from Bahrain to Baku, and Lviv to London......Page 24 Epistemological issues: recognizing the socio-historical and ideological context of international events......Page 29 International events as a platform for national and international politics......Page 30 Organizing and categorizing conflicts: levels and layers of contestation......Page 33 About this volume: cases, contents and conflicts......Page 37 Bibliography......Page 43 Part II: Historical and developmental case studies......Page 46 2. Regional events and festivals in Europe: revitalizing traditions and modernizing identities......Page 48 The origins and historical development of local and regional festivals......Page 49 Globalism, nationalism and regionalism......Page 52 Regions, regionalism and regional identity......Page 55 Regional festivals: culture, place and landscape......Page 56 Catalonia: the region versus the state......Page 59 Conclusion......Page 62 Bibliography......Page 63 3. The historical roots of the Gymnaestrada: national gymnastics festivals in nineteenth-century Europe......Page 68 The political situation in early nineteenth-century Europe......Page 69 The emergence and meaning of gymnastics movements in nineteenth-century Europe......Page 70 German Turnfeste (gymnastics festivals) as symbols and catalysts of the gymnastics movement and of nation building......Page 73 Mass gymnastics displays as physical expressions of belonging and national identity......Page 76 The growing internationalization of the national gymnastics festivals: paving the way for the World Gymnaestrada......Page 77 Bibliography......Page 79 4. World Expos and global power relations......Page 82 Imperialism and international exhibitions: 1851–early twentieth century......Page 84 Americanization, commercialization and World Fairs: the twentieth century......Page 88 De-polarization: late twentieth century to date......Page 92 Conclusion......Page 95 Note......Page 96 Bibliography......Page 97 Methods......Page 100 The origins of the Gay Games......Page 101 The sport–culture clash......Page 103 The commercialization of the Gay Games......Page 105 Growing pains – the split with the Gay Games movement......Page 107 The queering of the Gay Games......Page 109 The future of the Gay Games......Page 112 Conclusion......Page 113 Bibliography......Page 115 Part III: Contemporary case studies and ethnographies......Page 118 6. Global events and local conflicts: who owns the streets of London?......Page 120 Can’t get to the Games on time: Olympic congestion......Page 122 Managing traffic, travel and transport......Page 123 Local implications of a global event......Page 124 The largest peacetime logistics strategy: London’s transport policy for the 2012 Olympics......Page 126 Research findings (I): communicating the TDM strategy. How have businesses been informed as to the impact of these TDM measures?......Page 128 Research findings (II): responding to the TDM strategy. How do businesses plan to react to these measures and what steps are they taking, if any?......Page 130 Research findings (III): assessing the TDM strategy. How do businesses feel about the demands being made of them and the effect on their business?......Page 133 Conclusion......Page 134 Epilogue......Page 136 Bibliography......Page 137 7. A day at the races: critical reflections of an insider......Page 141 Why Newmarket?......Page 143 Our day at the races......Page 145 Who else is having a day at the races?......Page 152 On the way home......Page 154 Bibliography......Page 155 8. Arts, acrobatics and athleticism in North Korea: power, politics and propaganda......Page 157 Bush, Bond and other buffoons......Page 158 The historical and political roots of North Korean mass events......Page 163 The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang......Page 164 Conclusion......Page 169 Bibliography......Page 170 9. The World Baseball Classic: the production and politics of a new global sports spectacle......Page 173 Spectacle and global sport......Page 174 The globalization of baseball......Page 177 The political games behind the Classic spectacle......Page 181 Concluding remarks: the 2013 World Baseball Classic......Page 185 Bibliography......Page 187 10. Politics as spectacle: U2’s 360° tour (2009–11)......Page 189 U2: the band, the music and the shows......Page 190 Theoretical considerations: mega-events, the spectator and the cultural industries......Page 191 The power and political dynamics of U2’s 360° spectacle......Page 194 Conclusion: contradictions and conflicts......Page 201 Bibliography......Page 202 Index......Page 206