Palgrave Studies in Race, Inequality and Social Justice in Education, 2021
In this chapter, Hobson and Whigham critically reflect upon their experiences as White academics ... more In this chapter, Hobson and Whigham critically reflect upon their experiences as White academics teaching on race and racism within the discipline of the sociology of sport and PE. Their central concern is that they, as academics with White privilege, are an essential part of the problem, in that there is a significant lack of BAME academics teaching within their discipline, and within the academy more broadly (Arday, Being Black, male and academic: Navigating the white academy. In J. Arday & H. Mirza (Eds.), Dismantling race in higher education: Racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy (pp. 161–174). London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018; Gillborn, Racism and education: Coincidence or conspiracy? London: Routledge, 2008; NUS, NUS HerStory Month – Where are all the women? 2016). The chapter initially explores the structural Whiteness of teaching in HE, before discussing critical practices and pedagogies aimed at de-centring Whiteness. The chapter tentatively offer reflections and r...
This article focuses upon two contexts which have arguably received the most academic and media a... more This article focuses upon two contexts which have arguably received the most academic and media attention with regard to the interconnection between sport and secessionist nationalism, Scotland and Catalonia, given that both “submerged nations” have held public referenda on the topic of independence/secession from the states of the United Kingdom and Spain, respectively. The analysis endeavors to draw parallels between the two contexts to critically examine the extent to which similarities and differences are evident in terms of the growth of political nationalism. Finally, the central discussion outlines the extent to which sport contributed to broader political developments in the recent campaigns for the establishment of independent Scottish and Catalan states, focusing upon the actions of prominent sporting personalities and organizations.
This chapter aims to discover the impact of contemporary perceptions of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculi... more This chapter aims to discover the impact of contemporary perceptions of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’ on the experiences, beliefs and actions of female university athletes. In doing so, this chapter discusses the experiences of 12 university female athletes to explore gender hegemony and gender politics in British university sport. Structures that influence people’s beliefs and perceptions are explored, specifically looking at the notions of hegemony, hegemonic masculinity, and how political and civil society spread ideas to make them the norm. These concepts are used to critically reflect upon the emergent themes from semi-structured interviews held with female athletes. In particular, consideration is given to: 1) what the words ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ mean to them, 2) how they believe their peers perceive female athletes, 3) their experiences in sport as a female throughout their life and at university. These themes allow scope to critically reflect upon gender roles and rela...
Li mit e d, tr a di n g as T a yl or & Fr a n cis Gr o u p T his is a n O p e n A c c ess arti cl... more Li mit e d, tr a di n g as T a yl or & Fr a n cis Gr o u p T his is a n O p e n A c c ess arti cl e distri b ut e d u n d er t h e t er ms of t h e Cr e ati v e C o m m o ns Attri b uti o n-N o n C o m m er ci al-N o D eri v ati v es Li c e ns e (htt p:// cr e ati v e c o m m o ns. or g/li c e ns es/ b y-n c-n d/ 4. 0/), w hi c h p er mits n o n-c o m m er ci al r e-us e, distri b uti o n, a n d r e pr o d u cti o n i n a n y m e di u m, pr o vi d e d t h e ori gi n al w or k is pr o p erl y cit e d, a n d is n ot alt er e d, tr a nsf or m e d, or b uilt u p o n i n a n y w a y. C O N T A C T St u art W hi g h a m s w hi g h a m @ br o o k es. a c. u k @ St u art W hi g h a m
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2019
Given the contemporary growth of ‘populist’ political parties and movements in a number of highly... more Given the contemporary growth of ‘populist’ political parties and movements in a number of highly developed democratic states in Europe and North America, there has been a resurgence in academic interest around the various causes for the groundswell of support for political populism. Given this broader political context, this paper explores the interconnection between sport and populist politics in Hungary, with a particular emphasis on the appropriation of sport by ‘right-wing’ populist political actors. In particular, this paper will examine the politics–sport interconnection by discussing how the Prime Minister of Hungary, Victor Orbán, uses football, and sport more broadly, and the ways in which the Hungarian government have attempted to reinvent a strong nation and national identity through sport and related political populism. These attempts have been influenced by the interaction between forces of Westernisation and the country’s continuing post-communist transition, with the...
A longstanding and persistent rivalry is said to exist between England and Scotland in the contex... more A longstanding and persistent rivalry is said to exist between England and Scotland in the context of international soccer. In this essay we seek to test common media representations emphasising division against the opinions of English and Scottish soccer fans themselves. The complexity of English views towards Scottish people both inside and outside of soccer is explored using examples from an online participant observation study with English fans. Moreover, the extent to which anti-English sentiment constitutes an element of Scottish national identity in soccer and society more broadly is also explored using examples from semistructured interviews with Scottish fans on the topic of the rivalry between the two nations. We argue that via representations in the media soccer has both provided the context for reinforcing broader divisions between these neighbouring nations as well as creating specific memories in the minds of soccer fans that enhance divisive feelings amongst some English and Scottish fans. However, we also note the extent to which the stereotype of division is perpetuated by the media and how this is sometimes at odds with the views of both Scottish and English fans alike. We conclude that so long as the media perpetuate division between the two nations in a simplistic manner the reality of the complex and evolving relationship between Scottish and English fans will remain unclear and misunderstood.
In this essay, we trace the symbolic conundrums of belonging, and of the reconciliation of identi... more In this essay, we trace the symbolic conundrums of belonging, and of the reconciliation of identities, in the context of Catalan and Scottish sport and politics. Our discussion will commence with a necessarily concise consideration of past academic contentions regarding the national 'psyches' which have been argued to shape contemporary notions of identity and politics in Catalonia and Scotland, before turning our attention to the specific role of sport vis-à-vis these 'psyches' and the growing clamour for greater political autonomy for each of these stateless nations. Based on evidence drawn from the interaction between sport and politics in the two nations, we argue that secessionism is a liminal field of transformation as it includes what is seen as mutually exclusive sets of relationships (Catalans vs. Spaniards; Scottish vs. British, secessionists vs. unionists/centralists), which at the same time allows subjects to pass from one state to another and occupy them non-exclusively.
This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanated from party political d... more This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanated from party political discourse in relation to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Utilising a methodological approach centring on political discourse analysis (Fairclough and Fairclough 2012), this paper analyses party manifestos and constitutional policy documents produced by the three largest political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, namely the proindependence Scottish National Party and two pro-union parties, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. The emergent discourse of each party is interrogated by drawing upon pertinent theoretical concepts from previous academic analyses of Scottish nationalism, with particular attention given to those which have deployed modernist and ethnosymbolist theoretical approaches when analysing the Scottish context. This facilitates a critical reflection on the contrasting and nuanced narratives of the Scottish nation's past and future espoused by each political party vis-à-vis modernist and ethnosymbolist theory, illustrating the ways in which contrasting theorisations of nationalism are empirically tangible within political discourse, and are thus not simply theoretical abstractions.
In contemporary British society, discussions of social class have become relatively marginalised ... more In contemporary British society, discussions of social class have become relatively marginalised in comparison to their historically eminent position within the domains of politics, social policy and, the specific focus of the forthcoming discussion, education. However, within the specific field of PE and sport, contemporary academic analyses have continued to highlight various class-based inequalities and evidence of social stratification in relation to these areas of
International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2018
This article reflects upon the potential analytical utility of synthesising contrasting methodolo... more This article reflects upon the potential analytical utility of synthesising contrasting methodological frameworks when conducting research on sport policy and politics, with specific reference to methods derived from the fields of critical discourse analysis, political discourse analysis and narrative analysis. In particular, this article critically reflects upon the political discourse analysis framework proposed by Isabela Fairclough and Norman Fairclough (2012), and the narrative analysis framework proposed by Margaret Somers (1994), drawing upon the findings of research which synthesised these distinct yet complementary analytical frameworks. With its central emphasis on the content and production of political discourse relating to the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Scottish independence referendum, the methodological processes used in this thesis focused upon the identification of recurrent discursive forms from primary and secondary data sources including interviews with political actors, speech transcripts, manifestos, policy documents and press releases. Given the methodological synthesis evident in this approach, this article firstly provides a discussion of the paradigmatic assumptions of this analytical synthesis. Discussion then focuses on the provision of a more detailed outline of the Fairclough and Fairclough (2012) and Somers (1994) frameworks, and an explanation of the synthesis of the specific analytical frameworks adopted and the specific empirical methods employed. Finally, this article provides a reflexive critique of the relative merits of the chosen methodology, with specific consideration given to the promises and challenges of synthesising analytical frameworks in a similar fashion in future research within the field of sport policy and politics.
This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanate from political discours... more This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanate from political discourse in relation to two significant events in Scotland in 2014 – the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the independence referendum. This article uses an analysis of the political discourse from the two largest parties in the Scottish Parliament at the time of the Games, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) and the pro-union Scottish Labour Party, to highlight the contrasting discursive strategies of each party within their manifestos, policy documents, press releases and parliamentary speeches. This analysis demonstrates that each party portrayed nuanced positions on the Games, with the SNP illustrating the constraining nature of the constitutional status quo in relation to the potential economic and social benefits of the Games, and Labour using the event to illustrate the effectiveness of their stewardship of the Glasgow City Council despite the council funding cuts imposed by ...
International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2017
This article critically considers the extent to which sporting issues were harnessed by pro-indep... more This article critically considers the extent to which sporting issues were harnessed by pro-independence political campaigners during the Scottish independence referendum campaign. Developments such as the inclusion of sport within the Scottish Government's White Paper on Scottish independence, the establishment of the 'Working Group on Scottish Sport' and the establishment of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign group demonstrate the harnessing of sporting issues as an additional, if somewhat peripheral, debate point in the referendum campaigns (Lafferty 2014, Scottish Government 2013, Working Group on Scottish Sport and Scottish Government 2013, 2014). The latter of these developments, the establishment of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign group, is of particular interest, offering evidence of the explicit political mobilisation of past and present athletes in support of the 'Yes Scotland' pro-independence campaign. The use of sport within pro-independence political discourse is therefore scrutinised, drawing upon the principles of critical discourse analysis to explore the ideological assumptions underpinning the discursive representation of sport in relation to Scottish independence.
Sport has been argued to play an important role for members of diasporic groups of various origin... more Sport has been argued to play an important role for members of diasporic groups of various origins and in various locations (Burdsey, 2006; Carrington, 2010; Darby and Hassan, 2008; Kaufman, 2005). However, little attention has been paid to the role sport plays for 'internal migrants' who migrate to contrasting locations within a nation-state, despite the potential for significant contrasts in the prevailing sporting cultures found in different regions of the same nation-state. This article therefore aims to make a contribution towards understanding this relationship by reflecting upon the role sport plays for members of the Scottish diaspora living in England, drawing upon interviews and personal reflections from a number of Scottish 'internal migrants' located within the United Kingdom. In particular, discussion attempts to draw attention to the central role sport plays for these individuals in order to maintain a cultural attachment with their Scottish birthplace, given the relative lack of other cultural practices or associations which could be used to achieve this goal. Comparisons are also drawn with studies of the Scottish diaspora in more distant geographic contexts, as well as similar diasporic groups in the English context such as the Irish diaspora. These comparisons allow for a consideration of the impact of geographic proximity and cultural proximity on the relative importance of sport and other cultural practices for Scots living in England, identifying a number of important issues for those studying the role played by sport in the maintenance of a cultural attachment with 'home' for various diasporic groups.
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2012
This article explores the reasons behind the expression of anti-English sentiment by Scots in rel... more This article explores the reasons behind the expression of anti-English sentiment by Scots in relation to both sporting and wider social contexts, whilst also considering the impact of migration to England on the attitudes expressed by members of the Scottish diaspora. Drawing upon the conceptual framework of ‘narrative identity’ proposed elsewhere, data was generated through semi-structured interviews which focused upon the ‘ontological’ and ‘public’ narratives of Scottish identity as expressed by Scots living in England. The findings demonstrate the influence of a wide range of personal, social, historical and political factors in highlighting the cleavage between Scotland and England within the context of sport and society, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between these two nations in the context of sporting rivalry. This relationship is argued to be heavily influenced by the existence of an ‘underdog mentality’-style grand ‘public narrative’ ...
Palgrave Studies in Race, Inequality and Social Justice in Education, 2021
In this chapter, Hobson and Whigham critically reflect upon their experiences as White academics ... more In this chapter, Hobson and Whigham critically reflect upon their experiences as White academics teaching on race and racism within the discipline of the sociology of sport and PE. Their central concern is that they, as academics with White privilege, are an essential part of the problem, in that there is a significant lack of BAME academics teaching within their discipline, and within the academy more broadly (Arday, Being Black, male and academic: Navigating the white academy. In J. Arday & H. Mirza (Eds.), Dismantling race in higher education: Racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy (pp. 161–174). London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018; Gillborn, Racism and education: Coincidence or conspiracy? London: Routledge, 2008; NUS, NUS HerStory Month – Where are all the women? 2016). The chapter initially explores the structural Whiteness of teaching in HE, before discussing critical practices and pedagogies aimed at de-centring Whiteness. The chapter tentatively offer reflections and r...
This article focuses upon two contexts which have arguably received the most academic and media a... more This article focuses upon two contexts which have arguably received the most academic and media attention with regard to the interconnection between sport and secessionist nationalism, Scotland and Catalonia, given that both “submerged nations” have held public referenda on the topic of independence/secession from the states of the United Kingdom and Spain, respectively. The analysis endeavors to draw parallels between the two contexts to critically examine the extent to which similarities and differences are evident in terms of the growth of political nationalism. Finally, the central discussion outlines the extent to which sport contributed to broader political developments in the recent campaigns for the establishment of independent Scottish and Catalan states, focusing upon the actions of prominent sporting personalities and organizations.
This chapter aims to discover the impact of contemporary perceptions of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculi... more This chapter aims to discover the impact of contemporary perceptions of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’ on the experiences, beliefs and actions of female university athletes. In doing so, this chapter discusses the experiences of 12 university female athletes to explore gender hegemony and gender politics in British university sport. Structures that influence people’s beliefs and perceptions are explored, specifically looking at the notions of hegemony, hegemonic masculinity, and how political and civil society spread ideas to make them the norm. These concepts are used to critically reflect upon the emergent themes from semi-structured interviews held with female athletes. In particular, consideration is given to: 1) what the words ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ mean to them, 2) how they believe their peers perceive female athletes, 3) their experiences in sport as a female throughout their life and at university. These themes allow scope to critically reflect upon gender roles and rela...
Li mit e d, tr a di n g as T a yl or & Fr a n cis Gr o u p T his is a n O p e n A c c ess arti cl... more Li mit e d, tr a di n g as T a yl or & Fr a n cis Gr o u p T his is a n O p e n A c c ess arti cl e distri b ut e d u n d er t h e t er ms of t h e Cr e ati v e C o m m o ns Attri b uti o n-N o n C o m m er ci al-N o D eri v ati v es Li c e ns e (htt p:// cr e ati v e c o m m o ns. or g/li c e ns es/ b y-n c-n d/ 4. 0/), w hi c h p er mits n o n-c o m m er ci al r e-us e, distri b uti o n, a n d r e pr o d u cti o n i n a n y m e di u m, pr o vi d e d t h e ori gi n al w or k is pr o p erl y cit e d, a n d is n ot alt er e d, tr a nsf or m e d, or b uilt u p o n i n a n y w a y. C O N T A C T St u art W hi g h a m s w hi g h a m @ br o o k es. a c. u k @ St u art W hi g h a m
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2019
Given the contemporary growth of ‘populist’ political parties and movements in a number of highly... more Given the contemporary growth of ‘populist’ political parties and movements in a number of highly developed democratic states in Europe and North America, there has been a resurgence in academic interest around the various causes for the groundswell of support for political populism. Given this broader political context, this paper explores the interconnection between sport and populist politics in Hungary, with a particular emphasis on the appropriation of sport by ‘right-wing’ populist political actors. In particular, this paper will examine the politics–sport interconnection by discussing how the Prime Minister of Hungary, Victor Orbán, uses football, and sport more broadly, and the ways in which the Hungarian government have attempted to reinvent a strong nation and national identity through sport and related political populism. These attempts have been influenced by the interaction between forces of Westernisation and the country’s continuing post-communist transition, with the...
A longstanding and persistent rivalry is said to exist between England and Scotland in the contex... more A longstanding and persistent rivalry is said to exist between England and Scotland in the context of international soccer. In this essay we seek to test common media representations emphasising division against the opinions of English and Scottish soccer fans themselves. The complexity of English views towards Scottish people both inside and outside of soccer is explored using examples from an online participant observation study with English fans. Moreover, the extent to which anti-English sentiment constitutes an element of Scottish national identity in soccer and society more broadly is also explored using examples from semistructured interviews with Scottish fans on the topic of the rivalry between the two nations. We argue that via representations in the media soccer has both provided the context for reinforcing broader divisions between these neighbouring nations as well as creating specific memories in the minds of soccer fans that enhance divisive feelings amongst some English and Scottish fans. However, we also note the extent to which the stereotype of division is perpetuated by the media and how this is sometimes at odds with the views of both Scottish and English fans alike. We conclude that so long as the media perpetuate division between the two nations in a simplistic manner the reality of the complex and evolving relationship between Scottish and English fans will remain unclear and misunderstood.
In this essay, we trace the symbolic conundrums of belonging, and of the reconciliation of identi... more In this essay, we trace the symbolic conundrums of belonging, and of the reconciliation of identities, in the context of Catalan and Scottish sport and politics. Our discussion will commence with a necessarily concise consideration of past academic contentions regarding the national 'psyches' which have been argued to shape contemporary notions of identity and politics in Catalonia and Scotland, before turning our attention to the specific role of sport vis-à-vis these 'psyches' and the growing clamour for greater political autonomy for each of these stateless nations. Based on evidence drawn from the interaction between sport and politics in the two nations, we argue that secessionism is a liminal field of transformation as it includes what is seen as mutually exclusive sets of relationships (Catalans vs. Spaniards; Scottish vs. British, secessionists vs. unionists/centralists), which at the same time allows subjects to pass from one state to another and occupy them non-exclusively.
This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanated from party political d... more This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanated from party political discourse in relation to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Utilising a methodological approach centring on political discourse analysis (Fairclough and Fairclough 2012), this paper analyses party manifestos and constitutional policy documents produced by the three largest political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, namely the proindependence Scottish National Party and two pro-union parties, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. The emergent discourse of each party is interrogated by drawing upon pertinent theoretical concepts from previous academic analyses of Scottish nationalism, with particular attention given to those which have deployed modernist and ethnosymbolist theoretical approaches when analysing the Scottish context. This facilitates a critical reflection on the contrasting and nuanced narratives of the Scottish nation's past and future espoused by each political party vis-à-vis modernist and ethnosymbolist theory, illustrating the ways in which contrasting theorisations of nationalism are empirically tangible within political discourse, and are thus not simply theoretical abstractions.
In contemporary British society, discussions of social class have become relatively marginalised ... more In contemporary British society, discussions of social class have become relatively marginalised in comparison to their historically eminent position within the domains of politics, social policy and, the specific focus of the forthcoming discussion, education. However, within the specific field of PE and sport, contemporary academic analyses have continued to highlight various class-based inequalities and evidence of social stratification in relation to these areas of
International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2018
This article reflects upon the potential analytical utility of synthesising contrasting methodolo... more This article reflects upon the potential analytical utility of synthesising contrasting methodological frameworks when conducting research on sport policy and politics, with specific reference to methods derived from the fields of critical discourse analysis, political discourse analysis and narrative analysis. In particular, this article critically reflects upon the political discourse analysis framework proposed by Isabela Fairclough and Norman Fairclough (2012), and the narrative analysis framework proposed by Margaret Somers (1994), drawing upon the findings of research which synthesised these distinct yet complementary analytical frameworks. With its central emphasis on the content and production of political discourse relating to the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Scottish independence referendum, the methodological processes used in this thesis focused upon the identification of recurrent discursive forms from primary and secondary data sources including interviews with political actors, speech transcripts, manifestos, policy documents and press releases. Given the methodological synthesis evident in this approach, this article firstly provides a discussion of the paradigmatic assumptions of this analytical synthesis. Discussion then focuses on the provision of a more detailed outline of the Fairclough and Fairclough (2012) and Somers (1994) frameworks, and an explanation of the synthesis of the specific analytical frameworks adopted and the specific empirical methods employed. Finally, this article provides a reflexive critique of the relative merits of the chosen methodology, with specific consideration given to the promises and challenges of synthesising analytical frameworks in a similar fashion in future research within the field of sport policy and politics.
This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanate from political discours... more This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanate from political discourse in relation to two significant events in Scotland in 2014 – the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the independence referendum. This article uses an analysis of the political discourse from the two largest parties in the Scottish Parliament at the time of the Games, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) and the pro-union Scottish Labour Party, to highlight the contrasting discursive strategies of each party within their manifestos, policy documents, press releases and parliamentary speeches. This analysis demonstrates that each party portrayed nuanced positions on the Games, with the SNP illustrating the constraining nature of the constitutional status quo in relation to the potential economic and social benefits of the Games, and Labour using the event to illustrate the effectiveness of their stewardship of the Glasgow City Council despite the council funding cuts imposed by ...
International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2017
This article critically considers the extent to which sporting issues were harnessed by pro-indep... more This article critically considers the extent to which sporting issues were harnessed by pro-independence political campaigners during the Scottish independence referendum campaign. Developments such as the inclusion of sport within the Scottish Government's White Paper on Scottish independence, the establishment of the 'Working Group on Scottish Sport' and the establishment of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign group demonstrate the harnessing of sporting issues as an additional, if somewhat peripheral, debate point in the referendum campaigns (Lafferty 2014, Scottish Government 2013, Working Group on Scottish Sport and Scottish Government 2013, 2014). The latter of these developments, the establishment of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign group, is of particular interest, offering evidence of the explicit political mobilisation of past and present athletes in support of the 'Yes Scotland' pro-independence campaign. The use of sport within pro-independence political discourse is therefore scrutinised, drawing upon the principles of critical discourse analysis to explore the ideological assumptions underpinning the discursive representation of sport in relation to Scottish independence.
Sport has been argued to play an important role for members of diasporic groups of various origin... more Sport has been argued to play an important role for members of diasporic groups of various origins and in various locations (Burdsey, 2006; Carrington, 2010; Darby and Hassan, 2008; Kaufman, 2005). However, little attention has been paid to the role sport plays for 'internal migrants' who migrate to contrasting locations within a nation-state, despite the potential for significant contrasts in the prevailing sporting cultures found in different regions of the same nation-state. This article therefore aims to make a contribution towards understanding this relationship by reflecting upon the role sport plays for members of the Scottish diaspora living in England, drawing upon interviews and personal reflections from a number of Scottish 'internal migrants' located within the United Kingdom. In particular, discussion attempts to draw attention to the central role sport plays for these individuals in order to maintain a cultural attachment with their Scottish birthplace, given the relative lack of other cultural practices or associations which could be used to achieve this goal. Comparisons are also drawn with studies of the Scottish diaspora in more distant geographic contexts, as well as similar diasporic groups in the English context such as the Irish diaspora. These comparisons allow for a consideration of the impact of geographic proximity and cultural proximity on the relative importance of sport and other cultural practices for Scots living in England, identifying a number of important issues for those studying the role played by sport in the maintenance of a cultural attachment with 'home' for various diasporic groups.
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2012
This article explores the reasons behind the expression of anti-English sentiment by Scots in rel... more This article explores the reasons behind the expression of anti-English sentiment by Scots in relation to both sporting and wider social contexts, whilst also considering the impact of migration to England on the attitudes expressed by members of the Scottish diaspora. Drawing upon the conceptual framework of ‘narrative identity’ proposed elsewhere, data was generated through semi-structured interviews which focused upon the ‘ontological’ and ‘public’ narratives of Scottish identity as expressed by Scots living in England. The findings demonstrate the influence of a wide range of personal, social, historical and political factors in highlighting the cleavage between Scotland and England within the context of sport and society, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between these two nations in the context of sporting rivalry. This relationship is argued to be heavily influenced by the existence of an ‘underdog mentality’-style grand ‘public narrative’ ...
This paper will critically consider the implications for Scottish athletes who have publicly stat... more This paper will critically consider the implications for Scottish athletes who have publicly stated their personal opinion on the Scottish independence referendum. Developments such as the inclusion of sport within the Scottish Government’s White Paper on Scottish independence, the establishment of the ‘Working Group on Scottish Sport’ and the establishment of the ‘Sport for Yes’ campaign group demonstrate the harnessing of sporting issues as an additional, if somewhat peripheral, debate point in the referendum campaigns (Lafferty, 2014; Scottish Government, 2013; Working Group on Scottish Sport, 2013, 2014). The latter of these developments, the establishment of the ‘Sport for Yes’ campaign group, is of particular interest, offering evidence of the explicit political mobilisation of past and present athletes in support of the ‘Yes Scotland’ pro-independence campaign. Whilst the pro-union ‘Better Together’ campaign does not possess a comparable group to the ‘Sport for Yes’ example, examples of athletes discussing the potential negative impact of Scottish independence on the funding and organisation of Scottish sport have been capitalised upon by pro-union campaigners, as exemplified in the comments of Sir Chris Hoy (BBC, 2013; Daily Record, 2013a). Given the negative reaction to Hoy’s comments from certain pro-independence campaigners (Daily Record, 2013b; Swanson, 2013), other Scottish athletes have understandably attempted to avoid controversy by refusing to align with either side of the referendum debate. This paper will therefore consider the potential pitfalls for athletes who publicly announce their political positions, whilst also scrutinising the extent to which such pronouncements are of political significance, drawing upon past academic analyses of the interrelationship between sport and politics (e.g. Coghlan, 1990; Houlihan, 1994; Jeffreys, 2012; Macfarlane, 1986; Whannel, 2008).
Given the timing of the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014, the hosting of both t... more Given the timing of the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014, the hosting of both the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games coincided with a period of considerable political turmoil and reflection within the United Kingdom. The extensive levels of public, political and media scrutiny of both of these major sporting events can therefore be framed within a wider consideration of the contemporary dynamics of the political union between the constituent nations of the UK, as well as the multifarious forms of national identities expressed within the various regions of the ‘nation-state’. Despite the growing influence of social media forms within contemporary society, politics and sport within the UK, the ‘traditional’ print media retain a central (although arguably diminishing) role in the dissemination of information relating to major societal, political and sporting issues to the British public. This paper will therefore critically reflect upon the nature of print media representations of ‘Britishness’, ‘Englishness’ and ‘Scottishness’ at London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 from both London-based and Scotland-based publications, drawing upon empirical data from completed and ongoing doctoral theses from the respective authors. In particular, the implications of the contrasting competitive structures of each event will be considered, given the symbolic differences between the unitary ‘Team GB’ at the London 2012 Olympics and the separated representative teams for Scotland and England at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
In September 2014, a historic referendum on the issue of Scottish independence was held, with the... more In September 2014, a historic referendum on the issue of Scottish independence was held, with the potential to dissolve the political union between Scotland and the other constituent nations of the United Kingdom which had survived intact since the 1707 Act of Union. On a significantly high electoral turnout of 84.6%, the Scottish electorate opted to reject the proposals of the governing party in the devolved Scottish Parliament, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), to create an independent Scottish state, with 55.3% of the electorate voting ‘No’ to Scottish independence against a 44.7% ‘Yes’ vote. In the grand scheme of the Scottish independence referendum campaigns, sports policy remained a somewhat peripheral issue within the arguments forwarded by the Yes Scotland and Better Together campaigns. Nonetheless, developments such as the formation of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign sub-group, the inclusion of sport within the Scottish Government’s White Paper on Scottish independence and the establishment of the Working Group on Scottish Sport demonstrated that the potential implications of independence were still deemed significant enough to merit a degree of policy planning by the Scottish Government (Lafferty, 2014; Scottish Government, 2013; Working Group on Scottish Sport, 2013, 2014). This paper will critically consider the implications of the 'No' vote in the Scottish independence referendum for the latter of these developments, the policy proposals of the Working Group for Scottish Sport. Drawing upon the principles of critical discourse analysis, specifically the analytical framework proposed by Fairclough and Fairclough (2012), the content of this group's proposal will be examined in order to critically explore the policy for Scottish sport it envisaged for an independent Scottish state. The paper will then conclude by reflecting upon the extent to which elements of this political 'imaginary' (Fairclough and Fairclough, 2012) of Scottish sport remain a possibility for future sports policy in Scotland following the eventual 'No' vote in the referendum. References: Fairclough, I. and Fairclough, N. (2012) Political Discourse Analysis: A Method for Advanced Students. London: Routledge.
Scottish Government (2013) Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland. gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348/downloads. Accessed on 14/7/2014.
Working Group on Scottish Sport (2013) Working Group on Scottish Sport Interim Statement. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0043/00437896.pdf. Accessed on 14/7/2014.
Working Group on Scottish Sport (2014) Working Group on Scottish Sport: The continuing development of Scottish sport – including the impact of independence. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/ Resource/0044/00449792.pdf. Accessed on 14/7/2014.
This paper aims to reflect upon the potential analytical utility of the political discourse analy... more This paper aims to reflect upon the potential analytical utility of the political discourse analysis framework proposed by Isabela Fairclough and Norman Fairclough (2012). This framework represents the most recent substantive development upon Norman Fairclough's past work situated within the wider school of Critical Discourse Analysis, building upon his influential position this methodological tradition. Central to this development is the additional emphasis placed upon the necessity to conceptualise all political discourse as 'argumentative' in nature, given that political actors are ultimately proposing or refuting particular courses of concrete future action. This paper will therefore apply Fairclough and Fairclough's model to provisional data derived from an ongoing doctoral thesis which considers the nature of political discourse relating to sport, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Scottish independence, with an ultimate aim of critically considering the benefits and limitations of applying this analytical framework as a methodological tool within this ongoing study.
This paper explores the political reaction to Lord McConnell’s appeal for a political ‘truce’ in ... more This paper explores the political reaction to Lord McConnell’s appeal for a political ‘truce’ in the form of a temporary halt to campaigning by all political parties and organisations involved in the debate regarding the Scottish independence referendum during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (BBC, 2014; McConnell, 2014). Urging both sides of the debate to cease campaigning for the two-week period of the Glasgow 2014 games, the current Labour peer and past First Minister of the Scottish Parliament cited concerns that there are “genuine concerns that the Games, and the image of Scotland, could be damaged by attempts by either side – for and against – to use the Games to promote their cause, or to use the venues for campaigning” (McConnell, 2014). Drawing upon the principles of both a critical discourse and a narrative analysis methodological approach, this paper will scrutinise the nature of the political reactions to McConnell’s proposal from a variety of perspectives on both sides of the independence referendum debate. In particular, the emphasis in the responses from both sides of the debate regarding the apolitical nature of the 2014 Games will be critiqued, drawing upon the arguments of past analyses of sporting mega-events which highlight the potential for political exploitation of such events by the host nations (e.g. Horne, 2007; Grix, 2012; Houlihan and Giulianotti, 2012; Roche, 2006). Furthermore, the findings of academic research on the political implications of hosting the Commonwealth Games will be considered (e.g. Majumdar and Mehta, 2010; Van Der Westhuizen, 2004; Macintosh and Greenhorn, 1992; Majumdar, 2011; Lockstone and Baum, 2010; Macfarlane and Herd, 1986), highlighting a number of precedents which demonstrate the numerous challenges faced in any attempts to the keep the 2014 Games free from political influence.
Drawing upon the findings of my MSc dissertation and the proposed methodology for my current PhD ... more Drawing upon the findings of my MSc dissertation and the proposed methodology for my current PhD thesis, this paper will critically reflect upon the potential uses of narrative analysis within the sociological study of sport. The majority of this paper will consider the expression of anti-English sentiment by Scots in relation to both sporting and wider social contexts. Drawing upon the conceptual framework of ‘narrative identity’ proposed by Somers (1994), data was generated through semi-structured interviews focusing upon the ‘ontological’ and ‘public’ narratives of Scottish identity as expressed by Scots living in England. The relationship between Scotland and England is argued to be heavily influenced by the existence of an ‘underdog mentality’ grand ‘public narrative’ for Scots in relation to their English neighbours, based on perceived differences in economic and sporting resources. This ‘underdog mentality’ is argued to act as a legitimating force for the expression of anti-English sentiment within an individual’s ‘ontological narrative’ in both a sporting and wider social context. The paper concludes by reflecting upon the benefits of adopting a narrative analysis approach, and outlining the proposed use of similar methods within my PhD research on the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Scottish independence referendum.
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Papers by Stuart Whigham
References:
Fairclough, I. and Fairclough, N. (2012) Political Discourse Analysis: A Method for Advanced Students. London: Routledge.
Lafferty, S. (2014) ‘Stars of sport say Yes to an independent Scotland’, Yes Scotland. Available at: http://www.yesscotland.net/news/stars-sport-say-yes-independent-scotland. Accessed on 14/7/2014.
Scottish Government (2013) Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.
gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348/downloads. Accessed on 14/7/2014.
Working Group on Scottish Sport (2013) Working Group on Scottish Sport Interim Statement. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0043/00437896.pdf. Accessed on 14/7/2014.
Working Group on Scottish Sport (2014) Working Group on Scottish Sport: The continuing development of Scottish sport – including the impact of independence. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/
Resource/0044/00449792.pdf. Accessed on 14/7/2014.