The importance of being civilized: Opera houses as status symbols in International Relations

Abstract

(Ouverture) By making the case for opera houses as symbols of civilized status in International Relations (IR), this article addresses the discrepancy between the waning popularity of opera and the veritable boom in new opera houses we are witnessing across the globe. We foreground the multivocality of status symbols—they may be intended to communicate more than one meaning, by and to more than one audience. Whether intended as vehicles of urban, regional, or national status ambitions, building opera houses has signaled civilizational achievements. After a brief exploration of status symbols, we explore opera houses in general, before turning to a more in-depth study of the recent Oslo Opera House. Through the empirical study we show how opera houses have been (and still are) complex status symbols, with multiple internal and external dimensions, straddling the line between getting other states to sing along or serving mainly for purposes of singing alone. Finally, we posit that the current international boom in opera houses is a testimony to the enduring importance of being perceived as civilized in IR—long after the standard of civilization has ceased to be explicitly applied.