Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
European Sociological Association Conference in 2021, Barcelona, İspanya, 31 Ağustos - 03 Eylül 2021, ss.945
The aim of this research is to understand the role of
international sports in the process of Turkish nation
building during the formative years of the Republican
Turkey (1923-1950). The international dimension of
sports was crucial for the construction of Turkish national
identity in this period. Sports, with the competition
between national teams and athletes as well as the
emotive expressions of their supporters, provide lieus for
the manifestation of nationalist aspirations. Sports megaevents such as the Olympic Games, through hosting the
event or participation, provide the foremost platforms
for such expressions due to their international and
competitive characters. Since the emergence of a
national consciousness among the Turkish modernists
was mostly related to the encounters they experienced
with nationalist movements and views in Europe in late
Ottoman era, international sports events which facilitate
such encounters constitute a significant topic of analysis
for the intersection of sports and nation building during
the early Republican Turkey. The aim of this study is to
inquire how the sporting encounters in an international
setting served as a means for defining the boundaries of
the national identity, for the nationalist politics of the
early Republican Turkey. Based on an archival research,
this study examines the construction of the modern
Turkish national identity through international sports,
with a focus on the first four Olympic Games Turkey
attended, which are the 1924 Paris, 1928 Amsterdam,
1936 Berlin and 1948 London.