Whither ‘the People?’: Populism, Ideology, and the Contested Politics of Sport

Authors

  • Author

  • Richard Gruneau Simon Fraser University, Greater Vancouver, Canada

  • Translator

  • Ali Abdul Samad Simon Fraser University, Greater

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31430//GENV2450

Keywords:

Populism, Hegemony, Capitalism, Liberalism, Sport and Politics, Benito Mussolini, Donald Trump

Abstract

This study explore the concepts of populism and “the people,” linking them to ideology, hegemony, and the making of modern sport in Western liberal-capitalist democracies. While populism is widely seen as a useful way to understand oppositions between “the people” and elites, This study particularly interested here in what happens when self-styled populist political leaders actually govern, ostensibly on the people’s behalf. To illustrate this, the study consider two examples of self-styled populist leaders from different eras – Benito Mussolini and Donald Trump – that have used sport to promote narrow, ideologically laden, conceptions of “the people.” Through these examples the study argue that the concept of populism on its own does not provide a comprehensive understanding of political and cultural struggles in sport today, nor does it provide adequate guidelines for oppositional political strategies.

Author Biographies

  • Richard Gruneau, Simon Fraser University, Greater Vancouver, Canada
    Canadian Sociologist, Professor Emeritus, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, Greater Vancouver, Canada.
  • Ali Abdul Samad, Simon Fraser University, Greater
    Iraqi translator.

References

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  36. ويسمى الأسهم الثلاثة أيضًا. (المترجم)
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Published

2022-09-01

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Issue

Vol. 10 No. 058 (2022): Issue 058

Section

Translated Studies

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Copyright (c) 2022 Ali Abdul Samad, Richard Gruneau (Author)

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