The challenge of articulating human rights at an LGBT ‘mega-event’: a personal reflection on Sao Paulo Pride 2017

2020

IJEFM

PurposeTo introduce critical gender theory to events studies and set an agenda for research in this area. This paper focuses on various contexts, approaches and applications for “doing gender” in critical event studies. It draws upon interdisciplinary frameworks to develop robust theoretical ways of interrogating issues related to power and structural inequalities in events contexts.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual discussion of “doing gender” and critical gender theory and review of relevant research in this area within event studies. Adopting feminist and intersectional perspectives and applying them to events environments has potential to inform current theoretical developments and wider sector practices, and, ultimately, change the dominant heteronormative patriarchal paradigm of the experiential landscape.FindingsEvent studies has been slow to engage with gender theory and gender-aware research, to the detriment of theoretical and practical development within the field.Research limitations/implicationsA call for more gender-aware research within event studies. The goal of this paper is to galvanise gender-aware events research to centralise the marginalised and amplify feminist voices in critical event studies. Feminist and gender-aware frameworks encourage researchers to be critical and to question the underlying power structures and discourses that shape practices, behaviours and interactions. This creates new pathways to find ways to overcome inequalities, which can improve overall events praxis.Originality/valueThe paper introduces critical gender theory as a fruitful framework for future events research. It is an under-researched area of study, representing a significant gap in ways of theorising and representing different aspects of events. We argue it is imperative that researchers take up the challenge of incorporating feminist and/or gender-aware frameworks within their research as a matter of routine.

Section: Festivals and Events As Sites Of Disruption And Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

“Doing gender” in critical event studies: a dual agenda for research

Dashper

2020

IJEFM

“…Furthermore, there are examples throughout history of the ways in which festivity does not just emerge from the top down, especially with regard to marginalized groups or subcultures, such as in relation to LGBTQ+ events (see, e.g., Lamond, ). Most notably addressed in the literature within a UK context is the Notting Hill Carnival which has roots in the migration of Afro‐Caribbeans to the Notting Hill Area of London in the early 1950s (Cohen, ; Ferdinand & Williams, ; Ferris, ; Jackson, ).…”

Section: Contribution Of Urban Festivals To Place Image Place‐brandimentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural festivals and the city

Platt

2020

Geography Compass

Cities have always been hubs for celebration and festivity, bringing people together to escape temporarily from the mundane nature of everyday routines. Festivals have often been bridges between people and places, linking personal geography with collective experiences and therefore increasingly of interest to cultural geographers. However, festivals also have social, economic and political aspects that are constructed by societal influences of the time and place. This article presents some of the key debates ongoing in academic literature across disciplines to demonstrate the contested role that cultural festivals play in urban settings and suggests that urban geography is critical to developing these debates. It is simply no longer possible to say that festivity is a simple rupture in the mundanity of everyday life of urban citizens; rather, contemporary cultural festivals now often exhibit complex and uneasy tensions between the socio‐economic strategies of commercialized neoliberal cities and the cultural needs of diverse communities to gather and celebrate. By reviewing the development of festivals as part of the urban cultural economy utilising a geographic lens, this article sets out how cultural festivals are now more often employed by cities for marketing, tourism and other socio‐economic benefits. We demonstrate that cultural festivals and cities have an ongoing relationship, which is now mainly commercialized and politicized, and this has diverse impacts on communities, urban spaces and cultural identities.

“…Although there are pockets of research on topics involving non-hegemonic communities' experiences at events, as well as associated policy implications and event design considerations, these topics are still considered niche, often sidelined, and remain the focus of only a handful of scholars. The work that has been conducted has been focused mainly on festivals (Barrera-Fernandez & Hernandez-Escampa, 2018;Platt & Finkel, 2020), cultural events (Hill & Sobande, 2018;Rodgers, 2018), sporting events (Dashper, 2016;Lenskyj, 2016), and para-sporting events (Cirilo dos, Neto, Santana de Oliveira, Denardin Cardoso, & de Castro Haiachi, 2018;Misener, McGillivray, McPherson, & Legg, 2015) as well as the activism of LGBTQ Pride events (Caudwell, 2018;Lamond, 2018). The findings of these research studies all highlight the challenges associated with inclusionary practices, especially with regard to diverse and marginalized communities.…”

Section: Accessibility Diversity and Inclusion In The Mice Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in the UK meetings industry

Dashper

Journal of Convention & Event Tourism

2020

Issues of accessibility, diversity, and inclusion are becoming increasingly important for MICE managers around the globe and need to be considered in terms of both event attendees and employees/meetings professionals. The UK MICE sector is facing an unprecedented period of disruption in relation to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of Brexit, the impacts of which may have far-reaching consequences in terms of equality and diversity. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 13 stakeholders-meeting planners, venue managers, entrepreneurs and member organization leaders-this paper considers how issues of accessibility, diversity, and inclusion are playing out in the changing landscape of the UK meetings industry. Findings suggest that although the MICE sector is paying increasing attention to the importance of accessibility, there is evidence of persistent inequality and marginalization on the grounds of gender, age, 'race' and (dis)ability. We question if a focus on diversity remains a priority in economically, politically, and socially unsettled times, and what this may mean for an inclusive future for the UK meetings industry.