Sport, Nationalism, and Globalization (Suny Series in National Identities): European and North American Perspectives (Suny Series, National Identities)

Explores the relationship between sport and national identities within the context of globalization in the modern era.

Sport and nationalism are arguably two of the most emotional issues in the modern world. Both inspire intense devotion and frequently lead to violence. In this book, Alan Bairner discusses the relationship between sport and national identities in Europe and North America--specifically Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, the United States, and Canada--within the context of a broader theoretical debate about the impact of globalization in the modern era. Through a unique comparative perspective, the author sheds new light on the ways sport impacts the construction and reproduction of national identities. Ultimately, the work considers the role of sport in allowing nations and nationalists to resist, or at least come to terms with, powerful globalizing pressures.

"This book offers a new perspective in the study of sport and nationalism by underlining the links between the recent evolution of sporting nationalism with globalization processes. Moreover, to my knowledge, this is the first single-author book about sport and nationalism offering such a variety of case studies. The fact that the same framework is applied to all the case studies offers a very good comparative perspective. This book will become a reference in the field of sport and nationalism." -- Jean Harvey, coeditor of Not Just a Game: Essays in Canadian Sport Sociology

"No book on this topic has as consistently and as powerfully examined the relationship between sporting nationalism and globalization." -- William J. Morgan, coeditor of Philosophic Inquiry in Sport and author of Leftist Theories of Sport: A Critique and Reconstruction