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Playing to the ‘imaginary grandstand’: sport, the ‘British world’, and an Australian colonial identity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2013

Jared van Duinen
Jared van Duinen*
Affiliation:
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia E-mail: jvanduinen@csu.edu.au
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Abstract

This article argues for the importance of an exploration of sporting interactions in the British world. In addition, it presents the case for the adaptation of borderlands theory to the British world framework. Such study of British world borderlands is capable of more accurately capturing the spatial and regional variety of this British world and, in particular, the nascent national identities of dominions such as Australia. Sport is a particularly apt vehicle for the examination of such issues in an Australian context, since playing to the ‘imaginary grandstand’ of international spectators has always occupied a central role in the construction of an Australian national identity. This article uses three brief case studies – cricket, swimming, and Australian Rules football – to explore these theoretical claims.

Keywords

Australian Rules footballborderlandsBritish worldcricketswimming
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Global History , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , July 2013 , pp. 342 - 364
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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