ABSTRACT
Along with innocent, jaw-dropping views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and a less innocent and currently spluttering oil and gas industry, the Calgary Stampede is one of the most recognized and enduring symbols of Calgary, Alberta. Enmeshed in a version of “icon, brand and myth” that is also hardly innocent (Foran 2008), the Stampede attracts spectators and tourists from all corners of the globe, is attended by celebrities and sometimes royalty, and has evolved into a confident corporate juggernaut. It is also increasingly contested, largely owing to its use (and, arguably, abuse) of animals. At a time of growing public sensitivity to violence, victimization, and social injustice, debates regarding the safety of animals have escalated in many communities and regions. This includes the Canadian West, where conservative attitudes to the place of animals in human entertainment cultures persist. Implementing cornerstone elements of figurational sociology, this chapter examines how changes in social attitudes to animal welfare are impacting a cultural institution decreasingly able to disguise or rationalize cruelty to animals, or the “necroptic” 1 outcomes that occasionally ensue.
