Sports and Politics

The aiùm of this course is the explore the intersection between sport and politics. In recent years, this link has become much more obvious, with debates about human rights and sportswashing, about the Black Lives Matter protests, about gender equalities and inequalities and so on. With France due to hold the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and Paris hosting the Olympics in 2024, France in particular has used sport to promote a positive vision of the nation.

This course will examine these relationships and more, looking at issues of identity as exhibited through sports and at issues of sports as public policy. It argues that the relationship between sport and politics is not a simple, unidirectional one, but instead is a more complex, multidirectional one. It is not the case, as is sometimes stated, that "sports and politics should not mix" - they do mix, and this course aims to evaluate and interpret that relationship.