Preamble

Abstract

Building on the thesis regarding culture made so far, this chapter introduces Part 3 of the book, where the central component to this argument will be developed: an investigation of the role of the Olympic Games as the master narrative making sense of and providing coherence to a process of structural transformation in the city that was nonetheless presented as a continuation of the democratization process begun in 1979. Much has been said about the transformative power of the 1992 Olympics with respect to the city’s built environment, the economy of the city, and as the provider of an instant and durable global visibility of the city’s image. While this is indisputable, this book looks at the Games as part of the logic of culture and cultural discourses in the city, and in particular at how these discourses had the governing of democratic citizens at stake. It is as a cultural phenomenon, we argue, that the ideological impact of the Games in the city can be fully grasped.