“(Dis)Trust the Brits!”: (De)Constructing Contemporary Britishness through Myths of Inclusivity, Interconnectedness and Equality in the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony directed by Danny Boyle was perceived as a spectacular event and it is still considered a symbol of excellence within the genre of sports events ceremonies. The event aimed to express an idea of Britain as a modern country, where modernity stood for a presentation of a multicultural and multi-ethnic community brought together by a shared set of values, summed up a common idea of ‘Britishness.’ Yet, some were critical towards the way British history was celebrated. Drawing from the concept of myth as developed by Roland Barthes in Mythologies, this thesis investigates the British Opening Ceremony through the lens of what I consider to be the ceremony’s myths. My intention is to challenge these myths with a particular focus on the idea of inclusivity conveyed by Boyle through the theme of the ceremony, ‘this is for everyone’; the myth of interconnectedness, which hides a tendency to suppress discourse and conflict; and, ultimately, the myth of equality which, through its deconstruction, reveals dynamics of power as held by a majority group. I shall argue that the perpetuation of these myths was enabled by the use of ceremony as genre to express historical events, since the former could be considered as a limiting way to describe a country. From this analysis of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, I will explore Boyle’s tendency to adapt history arbitrarily as well as his focus on specific events and groups of people in order to convey his personal vision of a country. This authorial vision of Britain, however, could be considered at odds with an event designed to express and voice multiplicity