Azerbaijan on the crossroad between Eastern and Western state building: the Baku 2015 European Games and the boundaries of Europe

Abstract

The first European Games hosted in the crossroad Republic of Azerbaijan in 2015 provides a framework for studying both the contemporary approach of this profoundly Eastern society to the European community and the limits of the enlargement of the European political edifice. As conceived by the Azerbaijani elite, the largest national event to be held in this post-Soviet state since its independence in 1991 was meant to reflect the attainment of modern standards as expected by the European and Western world. Conversely, however, it also served for the portrayal of the new national narrative of Azerbaijan without further integration into the European political framework and its normative dogmas of society. The article employs a qualitative methodology and analyses 20 in-depth interviews conducted with relevant local figures of the sports event.