Branded by the nation
Branded by the nation
Abstract: In late 2012, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez traveled to Cuba to receive cancer treatment. Chavez, a ubiquitous character since being elected into office in 1999, suddenly became absent from the public eye, and by late December 2012, strong rumors of his death had begun circling in the media. The Venezuelan government published several official denials and executive orders (presumably signed by Chavez), which prevented new presidential elections from being held. Once Chavez’s death was confirmed in March 2013, as part of the response to allegations that Chavez’s signature had being forged, the government sponsored country-wide activities in which individuals could get his signature tattooed for free. Through an auto ethnographic narrative, the author explores the practice of tattooing late president's Chavez's signature as a twofold exertion of power: on one hand, as an exercise of nation branding; on the other, as an exercise of branding of the human body.
Related Research
-
Pleased to Announce – Episode 2Keith Wilson presented his live documentary performance, “Pleased to Announce – Episode 2” at the Cannes Docs Doc Day, part of the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes on May […]
-
Weaponizing Woke: Black and White Voter Responses, Intentions, and Perceived Support to a Politician’s Commentary on XDenetra Walker and Joshua Cloudy. “Weaponizing Woke: Black and White Voter Responses, Intentions, and Perceived Support to a Politician’s Commentary on X.” Presentation for 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Presented […]