Organised by:
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

Date:
29 - 30 April 2010

Venue:
Asia Research Institute Seminar Room, National University of Singapore (Bukit Timah Campus)
469A Tower Block, Level 10, Bukit Timah Rd

Modern sports were introduced to Asia in the late 19th century as an innovation from the West, and the diffusion and rise of modern sports in Asia overlapped with the development of modern society in Asia. This two day international workshop attempts to understand the influence that modern sports has brought upon everyday life in Asia

There is growing academic interest in sports as an important cultural form that shapes modern society, national identity, and processes of globalization. The workshop will consider a variety of topics pursuant to the impact of modern sports in Asia. Sports are intertwined with issues of colonialism and post-colonial nation building in Asia. Sports were crucial in installing modern institutions (for example, missionary and educational ones), and physical education programs were developed for engineering modern subjects. The development of sports culture in Asia is closely tied to the development of modern technologies, particularly telecommunications, providing for the spectatorship of foreign professional sports. In addition, sports informs notions of body culture and gender in Asia. And modern sports in Asia constitute a major driving force in consumer culture.

The main objective of this workshop is to assess and further develop the current research on sports in Asian contexts. While there have been individual journal publications and monographs in this area, the focus has been limited to a particular sport in a single country in the region – and thus a comprehensive survey of sports across Asia has yet to be initiated.

This workshop welcomes cross-disciplinary types of research papers that critically engage the complexity of modern sports in Asian context. It will consider empirical, historic, case study, and/or theory-based papers from fields such as history, sociology, cultural studies, performance studies, film studies, and education studies.

The organisers plan to publish the proceedings of the workshop as a special journal issue or an edited volume.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Dr Steve JACKSON
Professor, University of Otago, New Zealand & President of the International Sociology of Sport Association

Dr David L. ANDREWS
Professor & Director of Graduate Studies Physical Cultural Studies Program, University of Maryland, USA

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Applicants should submit a 300-500 word abstract and a short biography using the proposal form found at the website by 22 February 2010.

Please submit and address all applications and enquiries to Dr CHO Younghan (arichoy@nus.edu.sg) or Dr Charles LEARY (charles.leary@nus.edu.sg )

Successful applicants will be notified by 1 March 2010 and will be required to send in a completed paper (5000-6000 words) by 5 April 2010.

Preference will be given to papers that profile new research, fit with the core panel ideas and complement other papers.

Efforts will be made to provide some financial assistance to those, where possible.