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

209 Pages·2014·1.22 MB·English

by  Udo Merkel (ed.)

Power, Politics and International Events
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 interna-
tional events, popular festivals and famous spectacles. It draws on recent pri-
mary research and offers a diverse range of new and intriguing case studies,
for example the Arirang Festival in North Korea, the Gay Games, the Gym-
naestrada,horse-racing events,theLondon2012Olympics,regionaland 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 ana-
lysis 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:
(cid:1) political economy
(cid:1) politics of popular culture
(cid:1) the global and the local
(cid:1) regionalism and globalization
(cid:1) nations and nationalism
(cid:1) international relations and foreign policy.
This ground breaking 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.
Udo Merkel is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Sport and Service
Management at the University of Brighton. He is part of the Events Man-
agement team and has a keen interest in the social-scientific study of the
international events industry. In addition to researching and teaching socio-
logical and political aspects of international sports events, he has published
widelyintheareasofcomparativeEuropean studies and footballcultures.He
is currently preparing a bookon the role of international events and festivals
as a foreign policy and diplomatic tool.
Routledge Advances in Event Research Series
Edited by Warwick Frost and Jennifer Laing
School of Management, La Trobe University, Australia
Events, Society and Sustainability
Edited by Tomas Pernecky and Michael Luck
Exploring the Social Impacts of Events
Edited by Greg Richards, Maria DeBito and Linda Wilks
Commemorative Events
Warwick Frost and Jennifer Laing
Power, Politics and International Events
Socio-cultural analyses of festivals and spectacles
Edited by Udo Merkel
Forthcoming:
Event Audiences and Expectations
Jo McKellar
Event Portfolio Planning and Management
A holistic approach
Vassilios Ziakas
Fashion, Design and Events
Kim Williams, Warwick Frost and Jennifer Laing
Conferences and Conventions
A research perspective
Judith Mair
Power, Politics and International
Events
Socio-cultural analyses of festivals
and spectacles
Edited by
Udo Merkel
Firstpublished2014
byRoutledge
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AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Power,politicsandinternationalevents:socio-culturalanalysesoffestivals
andspectacles/editedbyUdoMerkel.
pagescm.–(Routledgeadvancesineventsresearch)
1.Specialevents–Socialaspects.2.Recreation–Socialaspects.3.Popular
culture–Socialaspects.4.Specialevents–Socialaspects–Casestudies.
5.Recreation–Socialaspects–Casestudies.6.Popularculture–Social
aspects–Casestudies.I.Merkel,Udo.
GT3405.P682013
394.2–dc23
2013005379
ISBN:978-0-415-62446-6(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-10459-0(ebk)
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For Rossy, my soulmate, artistic, creative and
vibrant; and Daisy, my most favourite
13-year-old in the world.
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Contents
Notes on contributors ix
Acknowledgements xiii
PARTI
Introduction 1
1 The critical, social-scientific study of international
events: power, politics and conflicts 3
UDOMERKEL
PARTII
Historical and developmental case studies 31
2 Regional events and festivals in Europe: revitalizing
traditions and modernizing identities 33
LOUISADEVISMES
3 The historical roots of the Gymnaestrada: national gymnastics
festivals in nineteenth-century Europe 53
ANGELAWICHMANN
4 World Expos and global power relations 67
JAYNELUSCOMBE
5 A short, selective history of the Gay Games: conflicts,
clashes and controversies 85
NIGELJARVIS
PARTIII
Contemporary case studies and ethnographies 103
6 Global events and local conflicts: who owns the streets of London? 105
ADAMJONESANDJANETWOOLLEY
viii Contents
7 A day at the races: critical reflections of an insider 126
STEVENGOSS-TURNER
8 Arts, acrobatics and athleticism in North Korea: power,
politics and propaganda 142
UDOMERKEL
9 The World Baseball Classic: the production and politics of a new
global sports spectacle 158
THOMASF.CARTER
10 Politics as spectacle: U2’s 360° tour (2009–11) 174
MICHAELWILLIAMS
Index 191
Contributors
Thomas F. Carterobtained his doctorate from the Universityof New Mexico
(2000). He currently teaches the politics and economics of sport at the
Universityof Brighton’s School of Sport and Service Management. He has
conductedethnographicresearchinHavanasince1995ontheintersticesof
sport and identity in Cuba. His award-winning ethnography on Cuban
baseball,TheQualityofHomeRuns(DukeUniversityPress),aswellashis
book on the experiences of transnational migrant sports professionals, In
Foreign Fields (Pluto Press), addresses various contemporary contexts of
Cuban sport. His research continues to focus on the experiential embodied
politics of identity and mobility within global sport.
Louisa Devismes studied Life Sciences at the University of Leicester before
embarking upon a career within the agricultural industries. Having
undertaken a number of roles within both the private and public sector
she moved, in 2004, to FACE (Farming and Countryside Education), the
leading national charity whose work aims to reconnect young people
with, and develop their understanding of, the natural environment.
During her return to study International Event Management with the
University of Brighton, she developed and combined an academic and
professional interest in the social factors that have influenced the develop-
ment of the rural environment alongside an increasingly global and
urbanized population. Since completion of this period of study, she has
developed research interests surrounding the significance offestivals in this
respect, as well as becoming an Associate Lecturer with the University of
Brighton.
Steven Goss-Turner studied Management and Organizational Behaviour at
the Universities of Strathclyde and Portsmouth. He completed his PhD at
the University of Brighton on the topic of organizational culture and its
impact on relationships between management and staff within the work-
place. Before an academic career began in 1991, he worked within the
international hotel and leisure industry, predominantly in human resource
management positions. His research and publication outputs reflect his
keeninterestinworkplaceculture,managerialpowerandbehaviour,especially