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Major Event and Festival ImpactsSeminar 5: Political Impacts

+Main Lessons from the Lecture

Politics is concerned with the relationship between power and authority

Events can be used as a medium for the communication of political discontent, disagreement, dissent and protest

Events can also be used to further the goals of democracy, justice, human rights, environmental protection, etc

Expos had clear political dimensions and were used by political and cultural elites to promote their national power

The Olympic Games is one of the world’s most highly politicised events

Cities, regions and nations often use events as part of an urban growth strategy

This is because events are highly visible but perceived to be less risky

When events are used for political means we can see many power struggles at play

+Discussion Topics

Critically discuss the argument that events and politics should not mix

Critically discuss the changes which have occurred within e events which were previously seen to be political in their nature but evolved in recent times – you should make particular reference to Gay Pride events

Evaluate the pros and cons for cities, regions and nations when following an events led development strategy