Introduction

Abstract

The book endeavors to offer a critical reflection on sport in the polity, society and history of the Arab world. This theme is illustrated by six different examples; sport and development or development through sport in the Arab world; sport policy and politics in North Africa; sport (soccer) in post-colonial and toward post-conflict Algeria; the politics and business of sport and TV broadcasting in the Arab world; sport and the network of business and politics in the Gulf region; and, finally, the Muslim perspective on the global sporting arena. The book addresses the issues of modern sport and the legacy of colonialism; sport, the politics of identity and nation-state building; sport and political ideologies; sport and international relations; sport, modernization debates and the movement toward a market economy; and last but not least, sport as a site for political and social contestations in the Arab world.