Olympic Ceremonialism and The Performance of National Character: From London 2012 to Rio 2016

Description

This book examines the London 2012 opening and closing ceremonies and the handover to Rio 2016 as articulations of national and cosmopolitan belonging. The ceremonial performances supported imaginative travel and created a tornadoros: an ideal form of 'human' that manipulates audiovisual narratives of culture and identity for global audiences.

Rodanthi Tzanelli is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Leeds, UK. She is author of over 60 articles and six monographs, including Heritage in the Digital Era: Cinematic Tourism and the Activist Cause.

"Rodanthi Tzanelli's volume offers an intricate and perceptive analysis of the multi-layered messages communicated through Olympic Ceremonies, focusing on the 2012 London Olympics. ... the book serves as a strong contribution to the growing interdisciplinary analysis of global cultural performances and their significance. It will be of value for academic researchers and postgraduate students across a range of disciplines from Cultural, Leisure, Tourism and Heritage Studies to Olympic Studies and Sociology." (Anna Woodham, Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, Vol. 14, 2016) "Compelling, sophisticated and provocative, this book pays ample testament to the value of rapid-response cultural studies in anatomising contemporary global affairs." - David Inglis, Chair in Sociology, University of Aberdeen, UK "In this eye-opening and engaging book Rodanthi Tzanelli shows why the Olympic ceremonies are far more important than they might seem. This is cultural analysis at its best." - Keith Tester, Professor of Sociology, University of Hull, UK