Staging the past, creating the future - Heritage, power, and (counter-) narratives at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games
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2025-07-07
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en
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The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics were shaped by a complex interplay of power structures, cultural and historical narratives, and media effectiveness, particularly concerning the official narratives versus the counter-narratives surrounding Brazil’s heritage. The key power structures were the Olympic Movement, the Brazilian authorities, the media, and the city’s citizens. Each of these actors presented different historical and cultural narratives in the context of the 2016 Olympics. The universalist ideals of the Olympic Movement and the Brazilian government’s objective of modernity and development are challenged by counter-narratives highlighting omitted histories, such as the unearthing of the Valongo Wharf. The official narratives and the counter-narratives are amplified by the media, exposing organisational shortcomings and suppressed historical contexts. Overall, this research illuminates the use of heritage in the context of mega-events and the clashes between the historical and cultural narratives shaped by different power structures.
Keywords: Rio 2016 Olympics, heritage, power structures, historical and cultural narratives, counter-narratives, mega-events, media effectiveness.
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Faculteit der Letteren