Global days of action, global public transcripts and democracy: a reply
This is a reply to:Gregoratti, Catia. 2014. “Global days of action, global public transcripts and democracy.” Global Discourse. 4 (2–3): 353–366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2014.914367.
Why the Occupy Movement Failed
The Occupy movement that began in New York City in September 2011 has been celebrated as one that "changed America." Early assessments about the movement's impact are overstated. The movement was limited by an organizing philosophy that impaired its ability to articulate demands, build alliances and control militant elements. These problems were not unique to the Occupy movement. This experience is illustrative of larger difficulties in organizing protest against the long-term consequences of neoliberal economic reforms.
Negotiating the cultural and economic outcomes of sport heritage attractions: the case of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
ABSTRACT Contemporary museums must balance their roles as commercial entities and repositories of various, and often dissonant, heritages and histories. Sports museums in particular often have clear commercial and nostalgic aims, particularly through tourist visitation, though the extent to which they represent more challenging narratives remains unclear. This paper examines how one of the most famous sports museums in the world, the National Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHF) in Cooperstown, New York, balances its dual role as tourist attraction and repository of baseball's sometimes checkered past. It was found that different sections of the museum provide greater or lesser degrees of engagement with more controversial issues, although the commercial outputs and appeal of the museum remains clear throughout. Utlimately, the NBHF demonstrates that balancing veneration and critique in collections can be commercially prosperous, and can provide a template for other sport and popular culture museums who may be wary of incorporating more challenging narratives in their exhibits. Furthermore, the symbiotic relationship between the Hall of Fame and the village of Cooperstown, particularly in creating and maintaining cultural and economic outputs, requires further exploration.