Hockey and spectacle: critical reflections on Canadian culture
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2011
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Abstract
Canada possesses few symbolic markers to build any unified conception of national identity around. Spectacle has played a distinct role in the development and maintenance of Canadian identity for decades. Televised professional hockey is a crucial component of the spectacle. For Canadians the ritualized viewing of professional hockey on television over generations has ingrained the spectacle within traditional notions of hockey mythology. The Canadian hockey spectacle is the subject for examination in this thesis. Theories surrounding spectacle and myth are harmonized and applied to two recent game-texts. The results indicate a great deal of celebration and affirmation of notions traditionally found in Canadian hockey mythology. Moments of contestation were examined for their efficacy in re-shaping Canadian hockey discourse within the spectacle. Finally, the notion of contestation is interrogated and deemed an extension of the logic of contemporary spectacle, encouraging deeper captivation.
Description
Bibliography: p. 107-109.
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Citation
Zuurbier, P. (2011). Hockey and spectacle: critical reflections on Canadian culture (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/4223