SOC 931 Proposal

Introduction

“the reciprocal and dynamic interaction in international relations of the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of power” (Gilpin, 1975)

This article is an analysis of the role of performed sport on local stages with global ramifications.  The growing worldwide reach of sport raises questions regarding the local cultural presence of global sports.  Through cultural studies and international political economic theory, I will explore the production and distribution of American sports to other countries around the globe.  Qualitative analyses of the lives of two athletes will be used to provide insight into the flow of culture.  Further content analysis will reveal a principal model of scalar culture transmission.  This will include a cyclical development of cultural presence – introducing American culture to local citizens, regional connectivity, and overblown differential representations of American (foreign) athletes.  Observations about the pattern of multi-directional culture flow and the scope of space will be made.

Literature Review

International political economy (IPE) can be analyzed through a broad variety of lenses.  There are mainstream approaches and analyses that are not mainstream.  One such study of IPE on the periphery occurs through a gendered analysis (Griffin, 2007).  An example of a mainstream analysis with a unique approach can be seen in Cohen’s differentiation between American and British views on IPE (Cohen, 2007; Patomäki, 2009).  Gilpin defines IPE as “the reciprocal and dynamic interaction in international relations of the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of power” (Gilpin, 1975; Cohen, 2007).  Whereas Gilpin defines, Cohen narrates, and  Patomäki claims to tell “better stories about the history and future of global political economy (GPE).”  I will pair Cohen’s story-telling technique with Griffin’s use of a new lens to model IPE through an analysis of pro sports.

Specifically, I will examine Gilpin’s definition of IPE.  I will allow substantive concepts and hypotheses to emerge first as opposed to using the data to prove an established theory, in other words, I am generating new grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 2006).

Defining Spatiality

  1. “The relevance of a particular spatial form – either for explaining certain social processes or for acting on them – can be measured only from the perspective of the engaged actors. Thus, in order to define criteria for the relevance of (a specific form of) spatiality, we need to start, both in our theoretical endeavors as well as in political practice, from concrete social processes and practices rather than reifying spatial dimensions” (Mayer, 2008; Wissen, 2009)
  2. I will illustrate “both the global extent of these agendas and the locally conjunctural nature of such processes” (Falcous & Silk, 2006)

Clarifying Social Processes

  1. cultural presence
  2. developing a place identity
  3. moving people/culture through space

“The increasing worldwide transmission of sport raises questions regarding the cultural presence of ‘global’ sports” (Falcous & Maguire, 2006)

“destination or tourist imaging is… a social and political issue. It is the contrivance of a particular representation of a destination by agents/officials/marketers; it draws on existing social and cultural elements within the destination to develop a place identity, but, importantly, much of it also depends on the fashioning of new image(s) and narratives and the use of desire-instilling myth(s) to draw people to a destination. Such a procedure has social and political corollaries” (Cornelissen, 2005)

“the most profound geographical restructuring that has taken place lies in the combined process of acceleration of working-class formation in many parts of the world, the hyperurbanisation process that still continues at an accelerating pace and the mass movement of people (and mainly workers) across space” (Swyngedouw, 2000)

Developing a Model

Here are two (of the many) ways that people can move en mass across space:

  1. As workers
  2. As tourists (fans)

Here are two (of the many) ways that tourists and workers can move en mass across space:

  1. Artificially (i.e. simulated)
  2. Actually

“We combine elements of figurational sociology, cultural studies and critical political economy to examine the production and textual presence of the North American National Basketball Association (NBA) on United Kingdom television” (Falcous & Maguire, 2006)

“The tourist gaze, however, also has an important power dimension: sociologically, the manner in which tourists engage with the places, objects and societies they visit, is imbued with certain values and based on power discrepancies between hosts and visitors” (Urry, 1990; Cornelissen, 2005)

“the technological and information revolution has increased and intensified cultural globalisation (Castells, 1998). Although global media flows have become more dense, the actual direct interchange in economic terms with many of the remote places that fill our television screens on a daily basis have actually disintegrated” (Swyngedouw, 2000)

Qualitative Analysis

  1. Jonas Jerebko
  2. Josh Childress

Questions

“the reciprocal and dynamic interaction in international relations of the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of power” (Gilpin, 1975)

Critique the Model

text

Summary

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Bibliography

Castells, M. (2000). End of millennium. Wiley-Blackwell.

Cohen, B. J. (2007). The transatlantic divide: Why are American and British IPE – so different? Review of International Political Economy, 14(2), 197. doi:10.1080/09692290701288277

Cornelissen, S. (2005). Producing and imaging ‘place’ and ‘people’: the political economy of South African international tourist representation. Review of International Political Economy, 12(4), 674. doi:10.1080/09692290500240404

Falcous, M., & Maguire, J. (2006). Imagining ‘America’: the NBA and Local–Global Mediascapes. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 41(1), 59 -78. doi:10.1177/1012690206066961

Falcous, M., & Silk, M. (2006). Global Regimes, Local Agendas. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 41(3-4), 317 -338. doi:10.1177/1012690207079230

First, Second, and Third World. (n.d.). . Retrieved October 3, 2010, from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world_countries.htm

Gilpin, R. (1975). U.S. power and the multinational corporation: the political economy of foreign direct investment. Basic Books.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (2006). The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. Transaction Publishers.

Griffin, P. (2007). Refashioning IPE: What and how gender analysis teaches international (global) political economy. Review of International Political Economy, 14(4), 719. doi:10.1080/09692290701475437

Mayer, M. (2008). To what end do we theorize sociospatial relations? Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 26(3), 414-419.

Patomäki, H. (2009). How to tell better stories about the history and future of Global Political Economy. Review of International Political Economy, 16(2), 309. doi:10.1080/09692290902718478

Swyngedouw, E. (2000). Authoritarian governance, power, and the politics of rescaling. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 18(1), 63 – 76. doi:10.1068/d9s

Urry, J. (1991). The tourist gaze : leisure and travel in contemporary societies. London ;;Newbury Park: Sage.

Wissen, M. (2009). Contested terrains: Politics of scale, the national state and struggles for the control over nature. Review of International Political Economy, 16(5), 883. doi:10.1080/09692290802529843