Sport, imperialism and postcolonialism: a critical analysis of sport in China 1860-1993

Abstract

Over the last three decades or more, there has been a considerable interest in the sociological analysis of sport. While a number of Western sociologists and cultural critics have attempted to locate the development of sport in various societies within an analysis of their own culture, very few have made sociological accounts of the development of sport in China. This study examines the significance of sport within the broader context of social and political change in China during the period from 1860 to 1990. Primarly this work is concerned with: (i) providing a theoretical analysis of imperialism and postcolonialism; (ii) treating the analysis of sport as a tool of cultural imperialism; (iii) highlighting the development of Western sports and physical culture in modern China and (iv) contributing to the analysis of sport in China through the notion of imperialism and postcolonialism. Nonetheless, the relative strength and weakness of this thesis may be its attempt to address the interrelated nature of all of these concerns.