Boundary disputes: New approaches to the interaction between sport and politics in the postwar years

Although often framed as politics ultimate ‘other’, it is hard to ignore that sport and the political are intimately connected. Historians, however, have up until now hardly reflected on nature of this connection in postwar years, how politicisation has actually taken shape, actors institutions delineated, navigated, crossed boundaries between two. This article tackles these questions through an analysis three vectors politicisation: communication, struggles over use space, governance policy making. Based a discussion recent work at intersection history, science, geography, communication studies, unearths relationship personalised modes representation, explores role spaces sites community building conflict, instrumentalisation schemes welfare state. It shows arrangements drew into orbit state; maps various politics, ranging from local residents’ groups international non-governmental organisations; highlights gendered, exclusionary new, popular forms sport. All all, makes case for highly relevant field engage with those who interested history power, governance.