Covering a range of African countries from Equatorial Guinea to Tanzania, this volume adds to a g... more Covering a range of African countries from Equatorial Guinea to Tanzania, this volume adds to a growing literature on the emerging relationship between China and Africa, presenting work that is based on primary research. It includes articles on a wide range of subjects, including China's energy policy, labour relations, trade networks and cultural perceptions. The various essays chart the rise of a multiplicity of different actors in the relationship, emerging patterns of globalization and development, and rhetoric and representation.
Is it curious that there should be a particular document addressing the issue of “women, sport, a... more Is it curious that there should be a particular document addressing the issue of “women, sport, and development”? Why not one focused on men? I pose these questions to get at the heart of a dilemma – Why, if women and girls do engage in sport, are they still marginalized or at best a “special case” in the dominant practices, ideologies and organizations concerned with sport? Certainly in the beginning of the 21st century, it is not unusual for girls and women all over the world to participate in sport in some way or another. As well, over the last three decades, there has been considerable organized, focused attention on women’s role in development. Over the last 15 years an organized international women in sports movement also has gained momentum. Nevertheless, female participation in sport still raises a series of reactions, issues and questions that are theoretically challenging, culturally revealing and programmatically pressing. This emulates earlier discussions surrounding wom...
Sport can be a powerful, and potentially a radical and transformative tool in empowering girls an... more Sport can be a powerful, and potentially a radical and transformative tool in empowering girls and women and affecting gender norms and relations throughout a society. As with able-bodiedness/disability and youth, gender emerges at the intersection of the physical and the social, and this is precisely where sport also resides. The embodied nature of both gender and sport suggests possibilities for intertwining the two for development interventions. Programmes such as the Go Sisters EduSport in Zambia1 and Moving the Goal Posts in Kenya demonstrate this as they provide physical, psychological, and social benefits, targeted at girls and young women. However, seeking to empower females through sport is somewhat paradoxical given that the world of sport can be a bastion for male privilege and power, an important arena for asserting a particular kind of male dominance over women (and some men), as well as furthering EuroAmerican hegemony vis-a-vis the Global South. Indeed, objections to women’s general involvement in sport (which varies according to the type of sport and location), often rest on the ways in which ‘gender norms’ (viewed historically and spatially) are challenged by external forces, which can range from NGOs to the state and to international cultural flows. With variation across settings, there remains a strong link between sport, body practices, gender and sexuality.
University courses on sport and society have increased exponentially over the past decade, motore... more University courses on sport and society have increased exponentially over the past decade, motored by student interest and the acceptance of cultural studies in the academy. This online forum, organized and coordinated by Peter Alegi, took place in the summer of 2015. Four historians and a political scientist discussed how their historical research on sport influences their teaching and helps students better understand the relationships between sport and politics. After answering three rounds of questions, respondents had the opportunity to read everyone's answers and edit their own responses.
Women 's Sport AS Politics in MUlsim Contexts, 2015
Women’s Sport as Politics in Muslim Contexts provides an urgently needed analysis of the bravery... more Women’s Sport as Politics in Muslim Contexts provides an urgently needed analysis of the bravery and creativity exhibited by women in the realm of sports, which has emerged as a major realm of contestation between proponents of women’s rights and political Islamist forces in Muslim contexts. Through focused case studies, this volume tracks the many sophisticated, context-specific, and constantly evolving strategies of women’s resistance to their exclusion in sport. Integral in their struggles for full inclusion in competitive sports, as both players and spectators, is women’s claim to their full and equal citizenship. The edited volume divulges the various ways women negotiate political and ideological boundaries, as they politicize and subvert spaces normally considered outside the realm of state politics in order to bring about gender-equitable opportunities while at the same time redefining women’s roles in society. Hoodfar and other contributors have provided a ground-breaking analysis of the landscape of gender and sports in diverse Muslim contexts, covering Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Europe, North America, and Senegal. This book offers a glimpse of the variety of ways that women debunk exclusionary masculinist logics in sports that are justified by nationalism, religion, and modernism. In the process, they also expose, unpack, and critique, the policies and tactics imposed by both international mega-sport organizations and Islamist regimes that objectify and sexualize women’s bodies in their opposing perspectives. The various chapters of the book document women’s insistence in participating in and politicising sports, which challenges and redefines gender norms that prevail in their specific context. This fascinating case studies that document the variety of ways that women in Muslim contexts have initiated strategies to contest their exclusion from the public sphere, is part of the WLUML’s research and publication series on Dress Codes and Modes: Politics of Women’s Clothing in Muslim Contexts.The book is written in an accessible manner and is a timely resource for proponents of sports for women. It also serves teachers and scholars interested in women’s sports and resistance, as well as cultural and post-colonial studies. This book is an important and inspiring resource for feminists, activists, and scholars who are committed to ending the exclusion of women from sports, which is an important aspect of the public sphere.
The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athl... more The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athletes. Our objective is to explore the diversity and the complexity of this theme through various analytical and academic frameworks. Featuring scholars from different disciplines, the roundtable will explore topics such as gender, history, media, identity, politics, and socio-economy through the prism of athletic migration. Furthermore, the roundtable will discuss the challenges and opportunities of the “muscle drain” and its effects on a rapidly transforming Africa. European colonization brought “modern” sports to Africa, primarily through schools and missions. Colonial authorities very early recruited the most talented young athletes to perform in Europe for metropolitan clubs and national teams. In the ensuing decades, on into the post-colonial era, African athletes have been part of an athletic elite in France, Portugal, England, and Belgium. The migration of African athletic talent ...
The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athl... more The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athletes. Our objective is to explore the diversity and the complexity of this theme through various analytical and academic frameworks. Featuring scholars from different disciplines, the roundtable will explore topics such as gender, history, media, identity, politics, and socio-economy through the prism of athletic migration. Furthermore, the roundtable will discuss the challenges and opportunities of the “muscle drain” and its effects on a rapidly transforming Africa. European colonization brought “modern” sports to Africa, primarily through schools and missions. Colonial authorities very early recruited the most talented young athletes to perform in Europe for metropolitan clubs and national teams. In the ensuing decades, on into the post-colonial era, African athletes have been part of an athletic elite in France, Portugal, England, and Belgium. The migration of African athletic talent ...
Covering a range of African countries from Equatorial Guinea to Tanzania, this volume adds to a g... more Covering a range of African countries from Equatorial Guinea to Tanzania, this volume adds to a growing literature on the emerging relationship between China and Africa, presenting work that is based on primary research. It includes articles on a wide range of subjects, including China's energy policy, labour relations, trade networks and cultural perceptions. The various essays chart the rise of a multiplicity of different actors in the relationship, emerging patterns of globalization and development, and rhetoric and representation.
Is it curious that there should be a particular document addressing the issue of “women, sport, a... more Is it curious that there should be a particular document addressing the issue of “women, sport, and development”? Why not one focused on men? I pose these questions to get at the heart of a dilemma – Why, if women and girls do engage in sport, are they still marginalized or at best a “special case” in the dominant practices, ideologies and organizations concerned with sport? Certainly in the beginning of the 21st century, it is not unusual for girls and women all over the world to participate in sport in some way or another. As well, over the last three decades, there has been considerable organized, focused attention on women’s role in development. Over the last 15 years an organized international women in sports movement also has gained momentum. Nevertheless, female participation in sport still raises a series of reactions, issues and questions that are theoretically challenging, culturally revealing and programmatically pressing. This emulates earlier discussions surrounding wom...
Sport can be a powerful, and potentially a radical and transformative tool in empowering girls an... more Sport can be a powerful, and potentially a radical and transformative tool in empowering girls and women and affecting gender norms and relations throughout a society. As with able-bodiedness/disability and youth, gender emerges at the intersection of the physical and the social, and this is precisely where sport also resides. The embodied nature of both gender and sport suggests possibilities for intertwining the two for development interventions. Programmes such as the Go Sisters EduSport in Zambia1 and Moving the Goal Posts in Kenya demonstrate this as they provide physical, psychological, and social benefits, targeted at girls and young women. However, seeking to empower females through sport is somewhat paradoxical given that the world of sport can be a bastion for male privilege and power, an important arena for asserting a particular kind of male dominance over women (and some men), as well as furthering EuroAmerican hegemony vis-a-vis the Global South. Indeed, objections to women’s general involvement in sport (which varies according to the type of sport and location), often rest on the ways in which ‘gender norms’ (viewed historically and spatially) are challenged by external forces, which can range from NGOs to the state and to international cultural flows. With variation across settings, there remains a strong link between sport, body practices, gender and sexuality.
University courses on sport and society have increased exponentially over the past decade, motore... more University courses on sport and society have increased exponentially over the past decade, motored by student interest and the acceptance of cultural studies in the academy. This online forum, organized and coordinated by Peter Alegi, took place in the summer of 2015. Four historians and a political scientist discussed how their historical research on sport influences their teaching and helps students better understand the relationships between sport and politics. After answering three rounds of questions, respondents had the opportunity to read everyone's answers and edit their own responses.
Women 's Sport AS Politics in MUlsim Contexts, 2015
Women’s Sport as Politics in Muslim Contexts provides an urgently needed analysis of the bravery... more Women’s Sport as Politics in Muslim Contexts provides an urgently needed analysis of the bravery and creativity exhibited by women in the realm of sports, which has emerged as a major realm of contestation between proponents of women’s rights and political Islamist forces in Muslim contexts. Through focused case studies, this volume tracks the many sophisticated, context-specific, and constantly evolving strategies of women’s resistance to their exclusion in sport. Integral in their struggles for full inclusion in competitive sports, as both players and spectators, is women’s claim to their full and equal citizenship. The edited volume divulges the various ways women negotiate political and ideological boundaries, as they politicize and subvert spaces normally considered outside the realm of state politics in order to bring about gender-equitable opportunities while at the same time redefining women’s roles in society. Hoodfar and other contributors have provided a ground-breaking analysis of the landscape of gender and sports in diverse Muslim contexts, covering Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Europe, North America, and Senegal. This book offers a glimpse of the variety of ways that women debunk exclusionary masculinist logics in sports that are justified by nationalism, religion, and modernism. In the process, they also expose, unpack, and critique, the policies and tactics imposed by both international mega-sport organizations and Islamist regimes that objectify and sexualize women’s bodies in their opposing perspectives. The various chapters of the book document women’s insistence in participating in and politicising sports, which challenges and redefines gender norms that prevail in their specific context. This fascinating case studies that document the variety of ways that women in Muslim contexts have initiated strategies to contest their exclusion from the public sphere, is part of the WLUML’s research and publication series on Dress Codes and Modes: Politics of Women’s Clothing in Muslim Contexts.The book is written in an accessible manner and is a timely resource for proponents of sports for women. It also serves teachers and scholars interested in women’s sports and resistance, as well as cultural and post-colonial studies. This book is an important and inspiring resource for feminists, activists, and scholars who are committed to ending the exclusion of women from sports, which is an important aspect of the public sphere.
The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athl... more The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athletes. Our objective is to explore the diversity and the complexity of this theme through various analytical and academic frameworks. Featuring scholars from different disciplines, the roundtable will explore topics such as gender, history, media, identity, politics, and socio-economy through the prism of athletic migration. Furthermore, the roundtable will discuss the challenges and opportunities of the “muscle drain” and its effects on a rapidly transforming Africa. European colonization brought “modern” sports to Africa, primarily through schools and missions. Colonial authorities very early recruited the most talented young athletes to perform in Europe for metropolitan clubs and national teams. In the ensuing decades, on into the post-colonial era, African athletes have been part of an athletic elite in France, Portugal, England, and Belgium. The migration of African athletic talent ...
The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athl... more The roundtable’s central theme is Sports in Africa, with a focus on the migration of African athletes. Our objective is to explore the diversity and the complexity of this theme through various analytical and academic frameworks. Featuring scholars from different disciplines, the roundtable will explore topics such as gender, history, media, identity, politics, and socio-economy through the prism of athletic migration. Furthermore, the roundtable will discuss the challenges and opportunities of the “muscle drain” and its effects on a rapidly transforming Africa. European colonization brought “modern” sports to Africa, primarily through schools and missions. Colonial authorities very early recruited the most talented young athletes to perform in Europe for metropolitan clubs and national teams. In the ensuing decades, on into the post-colonial era, African athletes have been part of an athletic elite in France, Portugal, England, and Belgium. The migration of African athletic talent ...
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Hoodfar and other contributors have provided a ground-breaking analysis of the landscape of gender and sports in diverse Muslim contexts, covering Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Europe, North America, and Senegal. This book offers a glimpse of the variety of ways that women debunk exclusionary masculinist logics in sports that are justified by nationalism, religion, and modernism. In the process, they also expose, unpack, and critique, the policies and tactics imposed by both international mega-sport organizations and Islamist regimes that objectify and sexualize women’s bodies in their opposing perspectives.
The various chapters of the book document women’s insistence in participating in and politicising sports, which challenges and redefines gender norms that prevail in their specific context. This fascinating case studies that document the variety of ways that women in Muslim contexts have initiated strategies to contest their exclusion from the public sphere, is part of the WLUML’s research and publication series on Dress Codes and Modes: Politics of Women’s Clothing in Muslim Contexts.The book is written in an accessible manner and is a timely resource for proponents of sports for women. It also serves teachers and scholars interested in women’s sports and resistance, as well as cultural and post-colonial studies. This book is an important and inspiring resource for feminists, activists, and scholars who are committed to ending the exclusion of women from sports, which is an important aspect of the public sphere.
Hoodfar and other contributors have provided a ground-breaking analysis of the landscape of gender and sports in diverse Muslim contexts, covering Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Europe, North America, and Senegal. This book offers a glimpse of the variety of ways that women debunk exclusionary masculinist logics in sports that are justified by nationalism, religion, and modernism. In the process, they also expose, unpack, and critique, the policies and tactics imposed by both international mega-sport organizations and Islamist regimes that objectify and sexualize women’s bodies in their opposing perspectives.
The various chapters of the book document women’s insistence in participating in and politicising sports, which challenges and redefines gender norms that prevail in their specific context. This fascinating case studies that document the variety of ways that women in Muslim contexts have initiated strategies to contest their exclusion from the public sphere, is part of the WLUML’s research and publication series on Dress Codes and Modes: Politics of Women’s Clothing in Muslim Contexts.The book is written in an accessible manner and is a timely resource for proponents of sports for women. It also serves teachers and scholars interested in women’s sports and resistance, as well as cultural and post-colonial studies. This book is an important and inspiring resource for feminists, activists, and scholars who are committed to ending the exclusion of women from sports, which is an important aspect of the public sphere.