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Entering the Global Arena

Emerging States, Soft Power Strategies and Sports Mega-Events

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  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Jonathan Grix

    1. Business and Law Faculty, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

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  2. Paul Michael Brannagan

    1. Business and Law Faculty, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  3. Donna Lee

    1. Business and Law Faculty, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • First book to draw together the infancy of published work on sports events and emerging states
  • Situates the debate within key, mainstream literature in contemporary international relations, sociology, political science and sports studies
  • Offers readers a truly global comparison (drawing on evidence from South America, Eurasia, Asia and the Middle East)

Part of the book series: Mega Event Planning (MEGAEP)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 1-7

  3. Emerging States and the Shifting Balance of Global Power

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 9-21

  4. Sports Mega-Events and the Concept of Soft Power

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 23-36

  5. Brazil’s Double Host Status

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 37-51

  6. Russia’s Unique Soft Power Strategy

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 53-68

  7. China’s Coming Out Party? The Beijing Olympics, 2008

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 69-82

  8. South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 83-96

  9. Qatar’s Global Sports Strategy: Soft Power and the 2022 World Cup

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 97-110

  10. Conclusion

    • Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee
    Pages 111-117
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Keywords

About this book

Set against a backdrop of concerns about the potential break-up or radical change to the global world order, this volume sets out to investigate the use of sports mega-events by a number of emerging states.


Sports mega-events, it is argued, can be understood as a key component in states’ ‘soft power’ strategies, that is, their attempts to showcase their nations on the international stage, increase their power relative to others via non-coercive means and to increase trade and tourism. Many studies on soft power simply cite the concept’s founder (Joseph Nye) and make little attempt at unpicking the mechanisms behind its creation. This volume does this by shining a light on emerging economies and by putting forward a soft power ‘ideal type’ to aid researchers in understanding the strategies employed by states in advancing their interests.

Reviews

“The concept of “soft power” has rapidly become one of the most significant ways to understand sports mega-events today. This book offers a succinct introduction to the concept as an intellectual heuristic, but does not stop there: it guides readers through 5 case studies of how actors in emerging states use sports mega-events to advance their interests in the global arena. This unique comparative look at sports mega-events in Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, and Qatar offers an accessible primer on precisely how and why “soft power” is far more than marketing and branding. Scholars of political science, IR, geography, sports studies, and beyond will certainly find this book to be the beginning, rather than the end, of important discussions about power, politics, and sports in the today’s shifting geopolitical terrain.” (Natalie Koch, Associate Professor & O’Hanley Faculty Scholar, Department of Geography, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University, USA)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Business and Law Faculty, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan, Donna Lee

About the authors

Jonathan Grix is Professor of Sport Policy and Head of the Sport Policy Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles on sport politics, sports policy and the politics of sports mega-events. Jonathan is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Politics and Policy.  


Paul Brannagan is a Political Sociologist, specializing in the study of sport. His research focuses on the use of mega-events by national governments for achieving political, economic, social and cultural objectives. Paul has published in some of the leading politics and leisure journals, including Leisure Studies, Global Society and International Affairs. 


Donna Lee is Professor of Political Economy and Head of the Department of Economics, Policy and International Business at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has published widely on political economy and diplomacy and is the co-editor of the Palgrave Diplomacy & International Relations monograph series.

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