The ‘Sport and Nationalism: Theoretical Perspectives’ themed section aims to advance the academic study of the interconnections between sport and nationalism by, firstly, reviewing the current ‘state of play’ in this field of study and, secondly, highlighting the potential for the development of future theoretically-informed analysis of the relationship between sport, nationalism and national identity. This section will thus facilitate a critical appraisal of the utility of various theoretical concepts used to explore the nature of contemporary nationalism when applied to the specific topic of sport.
This themed section will therefore seek to build upon the existing literature in the field of sport and nationalism in a number of ways. Firstly, by bringing together a range of contemporary academics in this field of study, it will offer an opportunity to showcase contrasting theoretical positions on this topic within the same issue. Finally, the central focus of the themed section on the application of theories of nationalism to the field of sport provides an opportunity for novel and critical contributions to this field of study.
Each article would be dedicated to contrasting theorists, theoretical approaches and/or concepts, as applied to a specific case study or topic within the field of sport. The objective of this structure is to demonstrate a diverse range of potential approaches for the study of sport and nationalism, thus acting as an innovative resource for academics and advanced students interested in identifying and utilising influential theoretical concepts in these specific fields. To this end, the central goal of this themed section will be to showcase contrasting and competing theoretical approaches to the study of sport and nationalism, with the opportunity to foster critical debate regarding the utility of the contrasting theories presented in the text.
Drawing upon an eclectic range of theoretical approaches to the study of nationalism, including modernist, primordialist, perennialist, ethnosymbolist and postmodernist approaches, this themed section will showcase the theoretical diversity of contemporary scholarship on sport and nationalism.
Abstract submission
We would like to invite proposals for articles on topics such as, but not limited to, the following areas:
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- Modernist nationalism in sport
- Primordialist nationalism in sport
- Perennialist nationalism in sport
- Ethnosymbolist nationalism in sport
- Benedict Anderson and the ‘imagined community’ in sport
- Michael Billig, ‘banal nationalism’, and sport
- Elias on sport and nationalism: a figurational approach
- ‘Invented traditions’ in sport: Hobsbawm, nationalism and sport
- Globalisation theory and sport: the end of the sporting nation?
- Edensor’s ‘everyday nationalism’ in the world of sport
- Kedourie, ‘ideological nationalism’ and sport:
- ‘Internal colonialism’ and nationalism: applying Hechter’s thesis to world of sport
- ‘Political modernism’, the nation-state and sport: Breuilly and Giddens on the sporting nation
Furthermore, we would also very much like to welcome novel and innovative theoretical approaches outside those listed above which will further enhance the theoretical scholarship on the relationship between sport and nationalism.
Abstracts (maximum 500 words) should be emailed to swhigham@brookes.ac.uk by 31st December 2018 for consideration for the ‘themed section’ proposal submission to Nations and Nationalism.
Process and Timeline
The deadline for abstract submissions is 31st December 2018.
The abstract submissions will be reviewed in January 2019, and the selected abstracts (maximum of 6) will be collated into a formal proposal for the ‘themed section’ which will be reviewed by the Nations and Nationalism Editorial Board.
If the ‘themed section’ proposal is approved by the Editorial Board, the contributors will be given approval to begin the process of drafting and submitting their full paper for final review.
If the proposal is approved by the Editorial Board, all contributions would be subject to approval by the normal journal peer-review processes for ‘themed sections’. Therefore, acceptance of a provisional abstract for the ‘themed section’ proposal does not necessarily result in acceptance of the final article submission.
The provisional deadline for completed articles is late 2019. This would be followed by a 3-month review period, with all articles subject to peer review.
Full details of the author guidelines are available on the Nations and Nationalism journal website at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/14698129/homepage/forauthors.html
