Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow

There has been an emergent trend among governments, and within sports organizations, to engage in public apologies. These politically orchestrated attempts to recall, forgive (and potentially forget) are typically orientated toward smoothing past injustices and advocating reconciliation. Such rememb...

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Main Author: Geoff Z. Kohe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Leicester 2012-07-01
Series:Museum & Society
Online Access:https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/mas/article/view/204
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author Geoff Z. Kohe
author_facet Geoff Z. Kohe
author_sort Geoff Z. Kohe
collection DOAJ
description There has been an emergent trend among governments, and within sports organizations, to engage in public apologies. These politically orchestrated attempts to recall, forgive (and potentially forget) are typically orientated toward smoothing past injustices and advocating reconciliation. Such remembering, reflexivity, and criticality are not typically characteristic of Olympic organizations and/or sport museums. However, New Zealand’s Olympic Committee (NZOC) has caught the apology bug. As part of its impending centennial celebrations, NZOC is reflecting on the consequences of its past (in)actions. Accordingly, this study analyses and evaluates the recent launch of NZOC museum’s 1980 Moscow exhibition and its ‘apology’ to athletes excluded from the 1980 Olympic team. I question NZOC’s desire to apologize. I then argue the exhibit and apology established a new, and needed, connection between NZOC and its colourful past. Within this public history exemplar are promising signs of the critically-framed histories academics encourage.
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spelling doaj.art-ea840d4528f240e5b865c1575a8beca32022-12-22T00:12:53ZengUniversity of LeicesterMuseum & Society1479-83602012-07-01102121140193Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to MoscowGeoff Z. KoheThere has been an emergent trend among governments, and within sports organizations, to engage in public apologies. These politically orchestrated attempts to recall, forgive (and potentially forget) are typically orientated toward smoothing past injustices and advocating reconciliation. Such remembering, reflexivity, and criticality are not typically characteristic of Olympic organizations and/or sport museums. However, New Zealand’s Olympic Committee (NZOC) has caught the apology bug. As part of its impending centennial celebrations, NZOC is reflecting on the consequences of its past (in)actions. Accordingly, this study analyses and evaluates the recent launch of NZOC museum’s 1980 Moscow exhibition and its ‘apology’ to athletes excluded from the 1980 Olympic team. I question NZOC’s desire to apologize. I then argue the exhibit and apology established a new, and needed, connection between NZOC and its colourful past. Within this public history exemplar are promising signs of the critically-framed histories academics encourage.https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/mas/article/view/204
spellingShingle Geoff Z. Kohe
Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow
Museum & Society
title Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow
title_full Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow
title_fullStr Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow
title_full_unstemmed Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow
title_short Reflexivity in the Apologetic Aeon: NZOC’s Return to Moscow
title_sort reflexivity in the apologetic aeon nzoc s return to moscow
url https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/mas/article/view/204
work_keys_str_mv AT geoffzkohe reflexivityintheapologeticaeonnzocsreturntomoscow