There has been an increasing emphasis upon the contribution of global events, such as the Olympic Games, World Cup, high-profile international conferences, Expos and so forth, to human rights improvements and abuses. Special events are no longer viewed solely as activities to be produced and consumed as ritually repeated activities, but can, in certain geographic and socio-cultural contexts, contribute to violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In order to comprehend the complete picture of global events and fully examine the linkages between globalization processes and global events, it is necessary to look at all aspects, including the less salubrious practices often associated with the bright spectacles.

This original and timely book is the first to fully examine the wider social justice and social change agendas associated with current global events. The book maps human rights abuses on the current global events landscape and critically examines international case studies of various types of human rights controversies within global events frameworks. This encompasses issues pertaining to dislocation of populations, labour issues, gender issues and the impacts of mega events on vulnerable people. In doing so, it contributes to a greater knowledge of understanding the general processes affecting human rights situations as they pertain to global events and the development of models of best practice and lessons learned in order to help inform policy decisions and actions of host destinations.

This groundbreaking volume is essential reading for students, academics and practitioners interested in events, tourism and cultural studies.