Sports have historically been part of a broader quest of regimes for prestige on the world stage, but also to project hegemony and power in an anarchic international system. While such historical trends of politicization of sports continue—witness the nationalism on display at each Olympic Games—today sports are equally seen as a strategic key for advancing human rights, building peace, strengthening social cohesion, and fostering development. International sports reside between a “realist” world of power and profit while simultaneously becoming an instrument of liberal internationalism that sees the advancement of individual values of rights, gender equality, and empowerment of often marginalized groups such as indigenous peoples, traumatized war victims, and those with disabilities. Sports in International Politics explores the complex linkages among power politics in the international arena, the profit-seeking, often elitist and at-times corrupt world of professional international sports, and the promise for harnessing sports to promote human rights, inclusive development, and sustainable peace in a violent world. Timothy D. Sisk shows that sport’s direct relationship to peace is found in sport- and play-related contributions to humanitarian action, expanding the right to access sport and the rights of athletes of all ages and abilities, and in the well-designed employment of sports in youth-based development and peacebuilding programs and projects. Sport’s contribution to peace is found from the bottom up through sport’s contribution to positive youth development, empathy, and fairness, and through engendering trust and social cohesion at community and national levels.
By:
Timothy D. Sisk
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 238mm,
Width: 158mm,
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 508g
ISBN: 9781538187104
ISBN 10: 1538187108
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 09 April 2024
Recommended Age: From 18 to 22 years
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Illustrations, Tables, Concept Boxes, Case Studies, and Documentary Insights Preface Abbreviations Part I Sport, Power, and Peace in a Turbulent World 1. Sport between Power and Peacebuilding Turbulent World, Uncertain Times Orienteering through the Global Sport Universe Sport Liberalism in a Realists’ World: A Ukraine Story Symbolic Power: The Achilles’ Heel of International Sport About this Book: Finding Sport’s Contribution to Peace Part II Situating Sport in a Globalized World 2. The Wide World of Sport Globally What is Sport? A Social Construction The Evolving and Changing Nature of Sport Why Sport Matters: Well-being Implications: The Imperative of Inclusivity in Sport 3. Mindsets of Devotion: The Social ‘Power’ of Sport The Sociology of Sport: A Primer Sport in Globalized Societies Sport and Social Dynamics Implications: Harnessing Sport’s Power Part III Politics in Sport: Comparative and International Perspectives 4. Power: Sport in the National Interest Symbolic Politics and the Politicization of Sport Performing Social Identity: Nationalism in Sport Sport Diplomacy: ‘Soft Power’ in a Hard World Implications: Sport, a Political Instrument 5. The Olympic Games: Swimming in the Currents of History Olympism: Peace, Mostly Symbolic Through Wars Hot and Cold: The Olympicsin the 20th Century Back to the Future: The Olympic Games into the 21st Century Implications: The Olympic Games, Still Swimming Part IV The Basis of Peace: Human Rights and Sustainable Development 6. Sport for Human Rights: A Long Association Advancing Human Rights in and Beyond Sport Breaking Barriers: Advancing Human Rights through Sport Naming, Shaming, and Boycotts Implications: Sport, An Arena for Rights-Claiming 7. Sport for Sustainable Development Sport and the SDGs Sport and Environmental Sustainability From Catalyst to Causalities: Debating SDP Implications: Furthering Evidence Part V Sustaining Peace: Humanitarianism, Peacebuilding, and Social Cohesion 8. Sport for Humanitarian Action, Peacebuilding, and Social Cohesion Sport in Humanitarian Action Psychosocial Interventions: Reaching Vulnerable Youth Peacebuilding: Overcoming Enmity, Sustaining Peace Implications: Reflective Practice Part VI Conclusion 9. Imagining More Effective Sport for Peace Reprioritizing Sport for Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion Reforming Global Sport Governance Revisiting a Cliché Bibliography Index About the Author
Timothy D. Sisk is Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. His research, teaching and policy-oriented work focuses on conflict prevention, management, and peacebuilding in fragile and post-war contexts. He works with fellow scholars, international and regional organizations, and students on international peace and security concerns such as peacemaking, peacebuilding, and inclusive governance and democracy building. Prior to joining the University of Denver in 1998, Sisk served as a Program Officer and Research Scholar in the Grant Program of the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C., and earlier earned a doctoral degree in political science from The George Washington University and an MA in international journalism and BA in international studies and German from Baylor University. Having been “raised on” baseball, basketball, and football, he is an avid cyclist, skier, and all-around outdoor-sport enthusiast.
Reviews for Sports in International Politics: Between Power and Peacebuilding
Easily accessible and with deep insight, Sports in International Politics provides an exploration into key trends in the relationship between, on the one hand, sports and global politics, and, on the other hand, the ‘every day’ dimensions of sports in the nurturing of peace and tolerance. By offering the reader a conceptual tool box and mapping empirical trends it is essential reading for understanding the double-edged nature of sports in promoting peace and driving conflict, locally and internationally. -- Kristine Höglund, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University In this insightful and comprehensive book, Professor Timothy Sisk explores the intricate connection between sport, power, and global governance, as well as peacebuilding within our ever-changing and turbulent global landscape. An essential resource for those seeking to understand the transformative potential of sport in promoting international peace and sustainable development. -- Dr. Fred Tanner, Swiss Ambassador (ret.); Visiting Professor at the Graduate Institute, Geneva (HEID); Senior Adviser, Center for Strategic Analysis, Vienna; and Former Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy This is an extremely impressive analysis of the impact of sport on global politics. Timothy Sisk goes straight to the heart of the matter: power. The book lays bare the complexities and politicization of sport and punctures a number of myths about the healing power of sport. The book is highly recommended. -- Roger Mac Ginty, Durham University Tim Sisk critically explores the complex relationships between sports, politics, and peace. He shows how the same drivers that boost social unity have been used to promote ideologies of hate. He finds, however, that with care, sport can be a powerful catalyst for peace. -- Cedric De Coning, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
