The Edinburgh 1970 British Commonwealth Games: Representations of Identities, Nationalism and Politics

Skillen, Fiona; McDowell, Matthew L.

doi:10.1080/17460263.2014.931291

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…19 Skillen's and McDowell's research on the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, for instance, looked at the contradictory issues of 'Scottish' presentation and domestic politics within an international setting. 20 Tied in with national identity is the fourth theme: the Scottish diaspora. Tanja Bueltmann's recent Scottish Historical Review piece on Highland gatherings in dominion-era New Zealand ties has ensured that sport, national identity, and the Scottish diaspora are discussed well within the academic historical mainstream in Scotland.…”

Section: The Non-football Historiography Of Sport In Scotlandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Records, language and discourses: new histories of Scottish sport. An introduction and historiography

McDowell

2016

Sport in History

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Section: The Non-football Historiography Of Sport In Scotlandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Records, language and discourses: new histories of Scottish sport. An introduction and historiography

McDowell

2016

Sport in History

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“…Our previous research into the first Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh -those of 1970focused thus far on domestic (and, to a lesser extent, international) politics within the context of the presentation of national identity at the Games (Skillen and McDowell 2014).…”

Section: Case Study: Commonwealth Games 1986mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Rewards and Risks of Historical Events Studies Research

McDowell¹,

Skillen²

2016

Critical Event Studies

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2016), 'The rewards and risks of historical events studies research', in Ian Lamond and Louise Platt (eds) Critical Event Studies: Approaches to Research. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 87-107. There may be small textual differences between this version and the published version. Any reference made to this paper should refer to the published version. WHY HISTORY?When we think about events we think of them as being current, contemporary, in the here and now; history does not readily spring to mind. And yet history has much to offer the study and development of events.Aside from needing to critically understand the politics, finances, and consequences in relation to events, researching their history enables students to approach the event from a new perspective. The use of history provides students with a greater understanding of the development of, amongst other things, policy, funding and organisational structure and behaviour. It will allow the student a valuable insight into the evolution of an event over time. This in turn can illustrate the processes which were undertaken and influence the current format of a particular event.Matthews (2012, p. 4) has suggested that historical events should be looked at by students because they: Offer an understanding role of events stakeholders (with three key categories: owners and organisers, participants, spectators)  Relationships between the three key stakeholders  Design of events through the use of ritual.Different models can certainly be applied towards studying the history of events, including ones of management and marketing. For the purposes of history, however, it can sometimes be necessary to apply a more flexible approach towards interrelationships within the organisation and management of these events. Our expertise is in the history of sport, including sporting events, and thus they will be the focus of our chapter.Events do not just appear overnight: they evolve from earlier versions of the same thing. So, by studying where these events came from, we can begin to understand the evolution of the event in its current form. For example, the modern Olympics were first held in 1896. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894.Purported to be based ancient Olympics as participated in by the city-states of Greece, they nevertheless firmly reflected contemporary Victorian values of Empire, maintenance of the social order, and the pursuit of 'Christian' ideals.One of Coubertin's founding ideals of the modern Olympics was to bring nations together in 'peace' through sporting competition, something which is still evident today. However, the Olympics also provide a forum in which the spotlight can be turned on international politics.The 1936 Olympics, held in Berlin, were used by the Nazis to demonstrate their power, and arguably their Aryan policies. The Nazis sidestepped the Games' usual vision of internationalism and cooperation, and instead promoted a vision of power, dominance, and scale, drawing on ancient Greece ...

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“…The Games, which take place every four years, have been hosted by the United Kingdom six times in the competition's history. 2014 was Scotland's third time hosting the sporting competition having previously been held in Edinburgh in 1970 and1986 (Skillen and McDowell 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 1986 Commonwealth Games: Scotland, South Africa, sporting boycotts, and the former British Empire

McDowell¹,

Skillen²

2018

Major Sporting Events

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This article examines Scottish reactions to African, Asian, Caribbean and other nations' boycotts of the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. These boycotts occurred over the UK Government's support of trade with apartheid South Africa, and over the inclusion in the England team of South African-born Zola Budd and Annette Cowley. This piece focuses in part on the political reaction, both by Scotland's Westminster MPs, and also by Edinburgh District Council-the latter led by the Labour Party, and keen to show their opposition to apartheid. However, it also focuses on the press reaction to these boycotts, which was rarely supportive of boycotting nations, with some of the more left-liberal outlets largely defensive over Scotland's participation in anti-apartheid politics. The highly mediated public reaction is additionally gauged through letters to newspaper editors. Whilst some displayed anger over the position of the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, and others consternation over the impotent political position of Scotland within the wider UK, most letters were overwhelmingly hostile to the boycotters, and linked their disgust to a nostalgia for the British Empire (some of it racially tinged), and accordingly an inability of athletes and sporting authorities to keep politics out of sport.

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The Edinburgh 1970 British Commonwealth Games: Representations of Identities, Nationalism and Politics

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

Records, language and discourses: new histories of Scottish sport. An introduction and historiography

Records, language and discourses: new histories of Scottish sport. An introduction and historiography

The Rewards and Risks of Historical Events Studies Research

The 1986 Commonwealth Games: Scotland, South Africa, sporting boycotts, and the former British Empire

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