Research Completed or Under Review

“Indigenizing the Nation: State Performance in the Olympics”

Host nations of Olympic Games have a unique opportunity to present their national identity through a highly orchestrated cultural performance at the opening and closing ceremonies.  In increasingly more prevalent efforts to legitimize state authority over specific lands or groups, state-sponsored narratives are adopting histories and traits of indigenous groups as a means of deepening their historical narrative.  These narratives feign a primordial origin of the modern state by granting it an earlier starting to legitimize their authority to govern.

The orchestrators of these cultural performances contend the use of autochthonous peoples is a legitimate and historically meaningful celebration of state identity.  The detractors of these performances contend it perpetuates colonial and post-colonial myths about the modern nation state and erode the traditions they exalt.  Without regard to motivation or intention, I contend this state-led strategy is designed to symbolically indigenizenon-indigenous peoples.

Soon to be Under Review

Research In Progress

“Japan's Olympic Aims: From 1940 - 2020 and beyond”

For Japan, the Olympics have always been a story of firsts in East Asia.  Of Central and East Asian countries, it was first to participate (1912), first offered to host (1940 - winter and summer) first summer host (1964), first winter host (1972), first to host twice (1964/2020), and many other benchmarks.  What is the story behind Japan's Olympic legacy and Olympic ambition?  What has it served Japan? With the 2020 Summer Olympics in their rearview mirror (a full year late), what future does the Olympic movement have in Japan and what goals does Japan have for the movement?

Status: Research in progress.

The Impact of Hosting the Olympic Winter Games: Case Studies On Japan, Norway & United States.

Cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics have wildly divergent outcomes on their legacy.  For some, the legacies of the Games are debt and white elephant stadiums. For others, the legacies are urban development, new tourism industries, and economic growth.  Are these legacies determined by the host during its Bid Process and its organization?  Are they the result of post-Games decision making?  What is clear is that the common belief that the Games are an economic burden is only true for some hosts so a broader understanding of the impact of hosting the Winter Games is required to respond to this question.

Research in Japan, Norway, and the United States suggest that a post-games strategy for venues and transportation infrastructure is critical facet to successful Winter Games Legacy.  What is also clear is that levels of economic investment are only relevant if profit is a goal of the host.

Status: Research in progress.