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The Olympics in Canada, National Identity and Consumer Culture

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The Olympics in Canada, National Identity and Consumer Culture Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 10-7-2015 12:00 AM Impassioned Objects And Seething Absences: The Olympics In Canada, National Identity and Consumer Culture Estee Fresco The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Daniel Robinson The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Estee Fresco 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Cultural History Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Indigenous Studies Commons Recommended Citation Fresco, Estee, "Impassioned Objects And Seething Absences: The Olympics In Canada, National Identity and Consumer Culture" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3332. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3332 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Impassioned Objects And Seething Absences: The Olympics In Canada, National Identity and Consumer Culture Thesis format: Monograph by Estee Fresco Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Western University London, Ontario, Canada © Estee Fresco 2015 ii Abstract This dissertation critically analyzes the commercial practices and products of the 1976 Montreal, 1988 Calgary and 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The central questions I ask are: how did the Olympics in Canada become a platform for the intersection of patriotism and consumption? What were the key ideas about Canadian identity, history, and citizenship that Olympic organizers and corporate sponsors promoted? How did commodities symbolize these ideas? Finally, how do these ideas relate to political policies and practices? This work contributes to an understanding of how branded commodities shape Canadian identity and citizenship norms by arguing that the objects sold during the Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver Olympics embodied unresolved contradictions in the meaning of national identity. Commodities (like mascots, Petro-Canada glassware and Hudson’s Bay Company mittens) represented a version of national identity that glorified European settlement in Canada and obscured the disparity between Indigenous and Settler Canadians’ quality of life. Further, by buying these commodities, Settler Canadians constructed their identity as valued citizens who make important material contributions to the nation. The production, consumption and promotion of branded products helped popularize the idea that reconciliation between Indigenous and Settler Canadians has been achieved when, in fact, it is an ongoing and unfinished process. Moreover, these practices deepened pre-existing conflicts involving land and natural resources in Canada, often at the expense of Indigenous peoples’ interests and well-being. The research is grounded in material from Olympic archives in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, which I use to conduct the first book-length study of the Olympics hosted in Canada. The theoretical framework that underpins this project is based on Anne McClintock’s conceptualization of fetish and Avery Gordon’s theory of “ghostly hauntings.” McClintock’s work helps explain how commodities can hold together contradictory ideas about Canadian identity while Gordon’s theory provides a basis for understanding how the absence of information (e.g. facts about Canada’s colonial past) can become perceptible or, in her words, “seething absences.” Using this approach, I iii demonstrate the importance of studying the symbolic significance of Olympic commodities rather than focusing exclusively on Olympic-related sponsorship and marketing practices. I argue that the production, consumption, promotion, and symbolism of the commodities have significant social and political consequences which include: shaping Canadian identity, influencing public knowledge about the nation’s past, intervening in debates about land possession and resource allocation, including and excluding citizens from participation in civic life, educating children and teens about the nation, and influencing reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. This research contributes to scholarship on branded nationalism by demonstrating the importance of studying the symbolic significance of Olympic commodities rather than focusing exclusively on Olympic-related sponsorship and marketing practices. It also illustrates that the rise of neo-liberalism and market fundamentalism in the 1980s helped popularize branded nationalism, cause-related marketing, and region branding in the Olympic Games hosted in Canada. Finally, this dissertation contributes to scholarship on the modern Olympic Movement by showing that the commercialism of the Olympics in Canada did not eclipse the political dimensions of the Games. Rather, they mutually reinforced one another. Keywords The Olympics; Canadian identity; branded nationalism; nation branding; Indigenous rights; consumer culture; fetish; Marx; McClintock; ghostly haunting; contractualization of citizenship; consumer-citizen hybrid. iv Acknowledgments I am deeply grateful for the time and energy Dr. Daniel Robinson, my advisor, has invested in me and my work. This thesis would not have been possible without his thoughtful, meticulous and insightful feedback. He has challenged me to become a better scholar and writer and has provided me with excellent advice throughout this process. The extent to which he cares about his students is clear in his dedication to them and I am very fortunate to be one of those students. My heartfelt thank you to Dr. Sasha Torres, whose encouragement and support was essential as I navigated my way through the PhD process. Her insightfulness and kindness had a profound impact on my experience a doctoral student. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Janice Forsyth, whose work I admire, and who has provided me with valuable feedback and mentorship. Dr. Amanda Grzyb provided me with enormous support as I wrote my thesis and I appreciate all the time she spent talking through ideas with me and guiding my work. Thank you to Dr. Gene Allen and Dr. Romayne Smith-Fullerton who were very valuable members of my defence committee and made insightful comments about my work that improved it significantly. This thesis has benefited enormously from the following individuals who read select chapters and gave me helpful advice and suggestions: Amy Freier, Atle Kjosen, Dr. Sharon Sliwinski, and Danielle Taschereau Mamers. Thank you as well to the valued friends and colleagues who offered advice, laughs, and, on many occasions, a couch to sleep on: Andrea Benoit, Zak Bronson, Amy Freier, Sonya de Laat, Eric Lohman, Claudie Massicote, Chris Richardson, Gemma Richardson, Tiara Sukhan, Danielle Taschereau Mamers, Jessica Thom, Fannie Valois-Nadeau, and Matt Ventresca. I am lucky to have Dr. Natalie Coulter as a mentor, friend, and reading group partner. A special thank you to Kim Newman who generously extended her friendship and her home to me in London and to Juline Fresco Taller, Jessica Howsam, Jessica Herschman, and Chrissy Munroe who are talented copy-editors as well as wonderful friends. v I am grateful to the staff at the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec and the City of Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria Archives whose hard work made my archival research possible. The staff at FIMS work tirelessly to make sure that everything runs smoothly and they deserve recognition for their hard work (despite being busy, they always find time to shower Emmett the dog with affection when he comes to visit). Throughout my time at Western, Dr. Nick Dyer-Witherford, Dr. Susan Knabe, and Dr. Pam McKenzie have been excellent Associate Deans and I have personally benefitted from their dedication to graduate students’ well-being. A special note of gratitude to Dr. Knabe who consistently goes above and beyond to champion the students’ causes and is unfailingly generous in the time she dedicates to students. I am deeply grateful for the support Dr. Knabe has shown me. Mike Munroe has read every page of this thesis and been by my side through the entire writing process. His love and friendship has sustained me. Mike, my family and the Munroe/Sammon family have shown me a love and generosity that seems to know no bounds. It is, of course, reciprocated in equal measure. vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. x Marx and McClintock Go to the Games: Introduction and Theoretical Context ...... 1 “A Crisis in Social Meaning:” Commodities
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