The cultural politics of remembrance: sport, place and memory in Belfast and Berlin

The role of dark commemorative and sport events in peaceful coexistence in the Western Balkans

“…The model connects dark commemorative events with this analysis of dark sport events. Both types of events are influenced by politics, manipulation and nationalisms (Bryant, 2011;Kennell et al, 2018;Stone & Sharpley, 2013), significantly related to identity and belonging, (Healey, 1991;King, 2016;Suligoj, 2016) and the symbolism of participant behaviours (Bairner, 2008;Pavlakovi c et al, 2018;Ramshaw & Gammon, 2005;Vrcan, 2003). Moreover, visitors' deviant behaviour at dark events are in line with the "dark leisure theory" (Spracklen, 2013).…”

“…In order to analyse the contribution made by dark events to SDG16 in the Western Balkans, this exploratory research provided an SDA of media reports of these events, sampled from across the region. A corpus of media reports on thirty sport and commemorative events was developed in order to develop a novel analysis, extending the scope of dark events research beyond commemorations (Kennell et al, 2018;Laing & Frost, 2016;Suligoj, 2019) to include sport events which, in particular in this region, share dark characteristics linked to memory, politics and violence (Bairner, 2008;Brentin & Tregoures, 2016;Healy, 1991;Vejnovi c, 2014). This research shows that dark events of different types in the Western Balkans are part of a complex and seemingly permanent social system of cause-and-effect relationships, where excesses of verbal/physical violence often occur, including attacks on politicians, fans and property.…”

“…In many states, sport events are politicized occasions, involving associations between teams and political parties, or the use of sport events as platforms for political or nationalist messages (Bairner, 2008;Hodges & Brentin, 2018). Sport events also have a social function and form part of narratives about identity and belonging, mediated through the collective memory of significant matches and occasions (Healey, 1991;King, 2016), as well as the symbolism of specific teams, venues and individuals (Bairner, 2008;Ramshaw & Gammon, 2005). Research into the relationship between sport events and peace has often taken place in the "sport for development and peace" field (Peachy & Burton, 2016).…”

Nation and sporting places: exploring the national stadia of a (dis)United Kingdom

“…Even participation in physical activity more generally has been greatly influenced by feelings of fear and mistrust (Bairner, Shirlow, 2003: 203-221). The city of Belfast's sports grounds such as the Gaelic Athletic Association's [GAA's] Casement Park and Irish league soccer grounds, including Windsor Park, the Oval, Seaview and Solitude are vitally important inscriptions on Belfast's cultural landscape (Bairner, 2008: Przegląd Narodowościowy / Review of Nationalities nr 9/2019 417-430). Even though the composition of the teams that play at the soccer grounds may evolve over time, most of the fans who attend their games remain constrained by the cultural myopia that has underpinned inter-communal conflict (Lowenthal, 1994).…”

Αξιοποίηση Αθλητικών Εγκαταστάσεων Μετά Από Την Έκβαση Μεγάλων Αθλητικών Διοργανώσεων

“…Rosental (2017) εντόπισε ένα θεμελιώδες δίλλημα σχετικά με τον σχεδιασμό και την κληρονομιά των ολυμπιακών υποδομών, τη γέννηση του οποίου τοποθετεί χρονικά στους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες του 1984 στο Λος Άντζελες. Το δίλλημα αυτό έγκειται στον συμβιβασμό μεταξύ δυο κύριων σκοπών των διοργανωτριών πόλεων, από τη μια πλευρά την επιθυμία παραγωγής κέρδους και τη δημιουργία ενός διαρκούς πλαισίου συνεχούς έλκυσης παγκόσμιων ιδιωτικών επενδύσεων και από την άλλη πλευρά την εστίαση στον μακροπρόθεσμο σχεδιασμό της πόλης προς χάριν του Σύμφωνα με τονBairner (2008) η κληρονομιά, κυρίως υπό τη μορφή σταδίων και λοιπών συνοδευτικών εγκαταστάσεων, υπήρχε πολύ πριν αποτελέσει διφορούμενη έννοια ή σκοπούμενη επιδίωξη. Οι μεγάλες διοργανώσεις άφηναν τα σημάδια τους χαραγμένα στα στάδια στα οποία πραγματοποιήθηκαν ως μια μορφή ζωντανής κληρονομιάς.…”