Events and Politics offers students a cutting-edge, intellectually stimulating, and accessible exploration of the deeply intertwined relationship between events and political power.
The book includes 31 chapters from global academics, structured around theoretical and practical considerations based on real-life events such as the Olympic Games and Dinard’s Festival of British Cinema, managerial and policy implications, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Covering broad themes such as soft power, propaganda, sportswashing, human rights, and governance, the book provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the political dimensions of events. Through historical analysis, case studies, and theoretical insights, authors challenge the notion of events as neutral spaces, highlighting how stakeholder interests, geopolitical ambitions, and governance structures influence bidding, planning, and legacy outcomes.
With chapter aims, quizzes, and debate questions, this highly engaging and comprehensive book is an essential reading and teaching resource for all students and lecturers of events studies, as well as policymakers in the events industry.
Foreword by Chris Gaffney
Introduction
Mike Duignan
Section I. Soft power and propaganda
1. The 1936 Berlin Olympics: Propaganda, spectacle, and the politics of sport
Gjoko Muratovski
2. How (should?) the Olympics (intentionally) transform society?
Tim Elcombe
3. All the Olympics are a stage, and all the athletes merely players: The Olympics as theatre
Timothy Olds
Section II. Sportswashing and rights
4. The Olympic industry: A threat to human rights, a threat to democracy
Helen Jefferson Lenskyj
5. The World Cup put the spotlight on Qatar, but also brought attention to its human rights record and politics
David Mednicoff
6. The Paralympic Games: An event having impact on the world stage but one not without its critics
Simon Darcy and David Legg
7. Sportswashing: Managing state relations and reputations through associations with sport
Michael Skey
Section III. Diplomacy and peace
8. Playbook for peace? How world events disconnected Putin and set a precedent for isolating autocratic regimes
Mike Duignan
9. Russia’s misfired sport diplomacy? Or our misunderstanding of the 2014 (Winter Olympics) and 2018 (FIFA World Cup) sports mega-events?
Jonathan Grix
10. ConIFA events: Organizing international football tournaments for unrecognized nations on divided lands
Joel Rookwood
11. Ancient ideals, modern problems: Pierre de Coubertin and the Olympic Games
Peter J. Miller
12. Wimbledon 2022 and the politics of exclusion: Sport, sanctions, and governance in a geopolitical crisis
Leon Davis and Mike Duignan
13. The politics of film festivals: The case of Dinard’s Festival of British Cinema
Neil Archer
14. Global games: A radical proposal for a sustainable future
Adam Talbot and Stephen J. Mills
Section IV. Activism and events as platforms for protest
15. The politics of Sydney’s gay and lesbian Mardi Gras
Leigh Boucher and Michelle Arrow
16. Athlete activism and the Olympic movement: Resistance, defiance, and restraint
Michelle O’Shea, Chris Yorke, and Hazel Maxwell
17. FIFA World Cup: A mirage of unity
Daryl Adair
18. Boycotting the Olympic Games: Effective policy tool or futile gesture?
Ryan Gauthier
19. The Olympics are democratically illegitimate: A call for democracy in sport
Jean-Paul Gagnon, Ferdinand Sanchez II, and Thomas D. Bunting
20. Black Lives Matter protests changed the US landscape and who is represented in public spaces
Shannon Smith
Section V. Power, corruption, and elitism
21. The 2022 FIFA World Cup and its potential anti-corruption legacy
Christina Philippou
22. Ancient athletic contests and Greek culture
Joel Christensen
23. China and sport mega-events: An ongoing project
Alan Bairner
24. Fan parks at football mega-events: Prioritizing security and improving the fan experience
Joel Rookwood
25. Fundamental challenging considerations in hosting sporting mega-events
Bryan C. Clift, Andrew Manley, and Lanfei Wang
26. Ensuring safety and security at sporting events: Lessons from the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris
Daniel Silverstone and Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen
Section VI. Nationalism and historical perspectives
27. Curating a contemporary dance festival in Africa: Sociopolitical insights and provocations from South Africa
Liliane Loots
28. How ‘The Dragon of Shandon’ celebrates people, place, and culture on Halloween
Tony Matthews and Deanna Grant-Smith
29. The new Olympics: How Tokyo helped reshape the games
Sam Duncan
30. The Australian Open: An event that has grown alongside a nation
Hunter Fujak and Scott Field
31. Goodbye Commonwealth Games
Tom Heenan
Conclusions and recommendations
Mike Duignan
Biography
Mike Duignan is a Professeur at the Sorbonne, University of Paris 1 (Pantheon-Sorbonne) and Editor-in-Chief of Event Management Journal. Formerly, he was an Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Events at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Surrey, where he was also the Director of the Observatory for Human Rights and Major Events. For the past 15 years, Mike has been researching, analysing, commentating, writing, publishing, and teaching on the economics and social impacts of staging major events.
"This state-of-the-art collection brings together key researchers in events and politics. Discussing highly relevant topics, such as soft power, international relations, activism, corruption, and governance, this offering will be an important resource for graduate students and researchers alike."
Prof. Milena M. Parent, Telfer School of Management and School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa; Director, Executive Masters in Sport Organisation Management, English program
"This is an important and timely collection that brings together a diverse range of perspectives on the connections between events and politics. Understanding the politics of events will only become more vital in our turbulent times. Because it includes a mixture of historical and contemporary cases, this book will be valued by researchers and students who want to get a sense of the bigger picture issues in events research."
Dr James Kennell, Head of Surrey Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, UK
"This edited collection makes a timely contribution to the field, bringing together a range of leading researchers to how events are implicated in geopolitical processes. I particularly liked the book’s coverage, including chapters on soft power, sport event diplomacy, sport washing, activism, and political power. This book will be an important reference point for researchers and students looking to understand more about how events are political and politicised, providing a platform for some actors to promote their political agendas, while also allowing others to contest it. The geographical coverage of the chapters also means that the book will be of interest to scholars across the world."
Prof. David McGillivray, Professor of Event and Digital Cultures, Centre of Culture, Sport and Events, University of the West of Scotland, UK
“This timely and thought-provoking collection critically examines the political dimensions, on and off the field of play, of major events, including the increasingly important soft power benefits that hosting successful events can bring to the host nation or city. As we seek to harness the collective experience and unifying power of events, the multi-faceted political dimensions at play can enhance or work against that aim for unity and cohesion. Spanning sport, arts and culture, this collection will be of interest to those both looking at the history of events past, and considering the place that events could play in future.”
Ruth Hollis OBE, Chief Executive, Spirit of 2012
