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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 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.
eBook
The Politics of Physical Culture and German Nationalism:Turnen versus English Sports and French Olympism, 1871-1914
The 2002 Soccer World Cup in Japan took place during the finalphase of the national election campaign for the German Bundestagand managed to temporarily unite Chancellor Gerhard Schröder(SPD) and his conservative challenger, Edmund Stoiber1. Both werekeen to demonstrate repeatedly that they were so interested in theprogress of the German team that they simultaneously interrupted orleft meetings to follow televised matches. Domestically, they supportvery different soccer clubs. Stoiber is on the board of directors of therichest German club, Bayern Munich, whose past successes, wealthand arrogance, numerous scandals, and boardroom policies of hireand-fire have divided the German soccer nation: they either hate oradore the team. Schröder is a keen fan and honorary member ofBorussia Dortmund, which is closely associated with the industrialworking class in the Ruhr area. It is the only team on par withMunich; despite its wealth, the management policies of the clubappear modest and considerate; the club continuously celebrates itsproletarian traditions and emphasizes its obligations to the localcommunity. Stoiber’s election manifesto did not even mention sport,whereas the SPD’s political agenda for sport focused upon a widevariety of issues ranging from welfare, leisure, physical education,and health to doping, television coverage, facilities, and hostinginternational events.
Journal Article
The critical, social-scientific study of international events
The central themes of this volume are the interrelated and interconnected issues of power and politics in the context of planned international events, festivals and spectacles. They are of local, regional, national and global significance (Roche 2000) and have, over the last few decades, become highly prized commodities, important forums for the articulation of politics and a vehicle for the exercise of power. 'A lot is known how they can be organized more efficiently and effectively, how they can be marketed, how they can be managed safely and how appropriate venues can be selected for their delivery' (Foley et al. 2012: 1). Much less is known about the politics of international events that are complex, diverse and multi-layered, ranging from both participants and non-participants seeking to utilize events for their own benefits, through the interplay and intrigues of the various stakeholders, to multinational corporations and governments putting pressure on the organizers. Glamourous and attractive international events, in particular, those with extensive media coverage, offer individuals, groups, institutions and organizations a high-profile stage to communicate their political messages, express their dissent and serve frequently as platforms for national and political rivalries. 'Festivals provide important occasions for the exhibition of political power in particular demonstrated by the practice of the spectacle' (Picard and Robinson 2006: 13). This happens both, overtly, in front of cameras as well as, covertly, behind the scenes. Such a thematic and conceptual focus inevitably requires paying attention to power relations, conflicts and controversies. It also demands a conceptual and analytical approach that draws extensively on the social sciences, in particular the theories and methods of sociology, politics and cultural studies.
Book Chapter
Arts, acrobatics and athleticism in North Korea
Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have developed from a common, very extensive and solid historical and cultural base into two very different socio-economic and political systems. Over the last six decades, North Korea has evolved into one of the most isolated and tightly controlled communist societies and has so far not shown any interest in economic and political reforms despite severe economic problems. South Korea, however, is one of the world's richest industrial countries and has close political and economic ties with the United States and many other countries. During the 1990s, the relationship between the two countries improved considerably, and raised expectations of reconciliation and, eventually, reunification of the divided Korean peninsula. More recently, inter-Korean relations have deteriorated dramatically and political contact between the two states is negligible. Both superpowers, China and the United States, appear to be content with the status quo as their greatest fear is a political destabilization of the region, which could be caused by a sudden collapse of North Korea. These introductory comments leave little doubt that any critical analysis of North Korean popular culture, in general, and mass events, spectacles and festivals that comprise and combine arts, acrobatics and athleticism, in particular, needs to be underpinned by a theoretical framework that recognizes the relationship between international politics, geography and culture. This is where the notion of geopolitics seems to be very useful. This concept went out of fashion for several decades in the second half of the twentieth century but, more recently, has re-emerged within the field of international relations and will therefore be used as a theoretical guide for this chapter.
Book Chapter
