Description
Book SynopsisXi Jinping's "Soccer Revolution" is unique: the most extensive politicization and geo-politicization of the Global Game. His purpose is to extend the global softpower projection of "the Middle Kingdom": an ancient Western imperial mantra ("bread and circuses") has been replaced by a modern Eastern "imperial" mantra ("rice and pitches"). The Asian Football Federation shares this "allopathic" vision of East Asian soccer: the future is Asia and it starts in China! Soccer is a talisman for a New Asia in a New Era. For China soccer is a hubristic instrument of softpower projection. Softpower, Soccer, Supremacy: The Chinese Dream makes this point forcefully. In East Asia soccer in now "much more than a game"!
Trade Review"
Softpower, Soccer, Supremacy: The Chinese Dream is a contemporary analysis which illustrates the significance of the politics, culture, and economics grounded in the world’s most popular sport. The editors Mangan, Horton, and Tagsold, noted international scholars in the history of sport, have assembled a highly accredited global team for the task. The inclusion of Chinese but also Korean, Japanese commentaries relevant to the present dramatic softpower initiatives being undertaken by the world’s most populous nation ensures that this publication will be of interest to all concerned about the developments in the Asia Pacific region. This collection is essential reading for Australian scholars and students."—John Saunders, Associate Professor, Australian Catholic University; Editor in Chief,
International Sports Studies"
Softpower, Soccer, Supremacy: The Chinese Dream is a timely, illuminating, and provocative collection of academic perspectives on the emergence of China as an aspirational footballing power. Uniquely it provides a platform for voices from within China and East Asia and is the most comprehensive treatment of Chinese soccer on the market. The range of topics covered is impressive, and all contributions go beyond speculative popular accounts to invest in solid theorizing and empirical investigation. The collection is a must read for anyone interested in the development of football in East Asia, how football reflects China’s broader ambitions, and the diverse sectors and processes implicated in Xi Jinping’s 'Football dream'."—Jonathan Sullivan, Director, China Policy Institute, The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
"Once again the grand seigneur of the political, cultural and social history of sport, J.A. Mangan together with impressive colleagues Peter Horton and Christian Tagsold and a number of their colleagues have published a highly topical collection of articles, in which the social, political, and geopolitical dimensions of Asian sport are analysed from a number of innovative perspectives. Xi Jinping’s China is naturally the decisive player in this game, but much attention is also given to its competitors on the Korean peninsula, in Japan, and the Australian world.
Softpower, Soccer, Supremacy: The Chinese Dream alerts Europe to the both the super power ambitions of modern China and the reality of the many-fronted efforts it is making to create and consolidate these ambitions."—Henrik C. Meinander, Keeper of the Swedish-Speaking Professorship in History, University of Helsinki, Finland
Table of ContentsList of Tables – Acknowledgements – J.A. Mangan: Prologue: Xi’s Chinese Dream: "Rice and Pitches" (‘粮食与球场’)—Imperial Strategies – Li Jinning/Keiko Ikeda: China, Politics and Soccer: The Era of the Cultural Revolution—The Immediate and Eventual Consequences for "The Chinese Dream" – Jiahao Hu: Chinese Sports Diplomacy: Intentions, Innovations, and Impediments—The Background to the BRI and BRICS Initiatives – Tobias Zuser: Building a Successful Superhighway: Soccer Revolution and the Realization of the Chinese Dream—An Overview – Emma Lupano: Dreams: The Pursuit of Consensus and the Display of National Power—Chinese Soccer Softpower Narratives – Leah (Xiufang) Li: Positive Projection: Soccer and Xi’s Softpower Strategy—Branding, Intention, Ambition, and Assertion – Tobias Zuser/Lawrence Ka-ki Ho: "The Chinese Dream": Neglected Dimension—Who Is Chinese?Multi-Ethnic Soccer Representation – Tzu-hsuan Chen/Alan Bairner: Crossing the Penalty Area? The Dynamics of Chinese/Taiwanese Football – John Connell: Dreams, Desires, and Destiny: Football and Fantasies in China – PART 2: Korean Perspectives – Jong-sung Lee: Failed Diplomatic Tool: Soccer—An Evolving Soft Power Relationship between China and Korea – Kyoungho Park/Gwang Ok: From Chinese Neurosis to South Korean Nightmare: Soccer as a Shifting Barometer of National Self-Confidence – Udo Merkel: Sport as a Nation Branding Tool in Divided Korea: Soccer, Status, and Softpower – PART 3: Japanese Perspectives – Christian Tagsold/Sato Ryohei: Japan and China: Overview—Leagues and Clubs – Christian Tagsold: Meeting Xi’s Ambitions with a Critical Eye: Japan’s Reaction to China’s Football Dreams—A "Further Caveat" – Colm Hickey: "The Guiding Light for the sport in Japan!"—Middlesex Wanderers and the Development of Football in Japan, 1967–2017: Regional Domination? An Anglo-Saxon Heritage of Supremacy to be Respected and Retained? – PART 4: Australian Perspectives – David Rowe/Keith Parry/Bonnie Pang: The China Question and Soccer in Australia – Peter Horton: Blinded by the Light! Hard Ball Disguised as Soccer: Interpreting China’s Football Dream—An Australian’s Reflection – Steve Georgakis/Andy Harper: Will Xi Jinping’s China Soccer Dream Become Australia’s Football Nightmare? – J.A. Mangan: Epilogue – Contributors – Index.
