Multiculturalism, Gender and Bend it Like Beckham

Gamal Abdel-Shehid,Nathan Kalman-Lamb

doi:10.17645/si.v3i3.135

Abstract

In this article, we explore the efficacy of sport as an instrument for social inclusion through an analysis of the film Bend it Like Beckham. The film argues for the potential of sport to foster a more inclusive society in terms of multiculturalism and gender equity by showing how a hybrid culture can be forged through the microcosm of an English young women’s football club, while simultaneously challenging assumptions about traditional masculinities and femininities. Yet, despite appearances, Bend it Like Beckham does little to challenge the structure of English society. Ultimately, the version of multiculturalism offered by the film is one of assimilation to a utopian English norm. This conception appears progressive in its availability to all Britons regardless of ethnicity, but falls short of conceptions of hybrid identity that do not privilege one hegemonic culture over others. Likewise, although the film presents a feminist veneer, underneath lurks a troubling reassertion of the value of chastity, masculinity, and patriarchy. Bend it Like Beckham thus provides an instructive case study for the potential of sport as a site of social inclusion because it reveals how seductive it is to imagine that structural inequalities can be overcome through involvement in teams.

Highlights

The 2002 film Bend it Like Beckham offers perhaps the most sophisticated and nuanced narrative of sport, race, and gender of any recent mainstream picture
For this reason, it is incumbent upon more critical viewers of the film to interrogate exactly what lessons the film propagates to its audience, for the film asks important questions about multiculturalism, gender, and sport that must be taken very seriously
Following Hall, we argue that the depiction of multiculturalism and gender in Bend it Like Beckham is understood by viewers through the broader prism of multicultural discourse and notions of masculinity and femininity

Summary

Introduction

The 2002 film Bend it Like Beckham offers perhaps the most sophisticated and nuanced narrative of sport, race, and gender of any recent mainstream picture. This makes the film seductive from an ideological standpoint, for it invites us to share in its vision for a better society. In what follows, using a cultural studies approach, we argue that the film provides an overly triumphalist version of contemporary multicultural society. We do this by examining a variety of the film’s underlying assumptions. We argue for an alternative vision of cultural openness as a more productive way to discuss multiculturalism

Context and Rationale

Understanding Multiculturalism

Gender in Sport

Research Method

Film Analysis

Conclusion