My MA dissertation is entitled ‘ Re-presenting Asia: The Olympic Games, National Identity and Modernity ’.
My research focused on the socio-political impact of the Summer Olympic Games in Japan (1964), Seoul (1988) and Beijing (2008). I explored the question of whether the Games represented an arc of modernity in Northeast Asia that incorporated economic growth and political reform.
I argued that despite rapid modernisation, in each case the historic narratives of the Games were permeated by memories of the horrors of warfare, state oppression and nationalism. I concluded that whilst the Games were used as an opportunity to for each nation to re-present themselves as a significant actor on the international stage and showcase rapid economic growth, they did not represent a complete ideological or political break form linear historical progress.
I feel extremely fortunate to have won the Sir Stanley Tomlinson Research Scholarship for 2009, and to have been able to attend the Association of Asian Studies Annual Conference hosted in Chicago.
This experience proved an invaluable part of my research as I was able to interact with leading academics and attend lectures and round table discussions closely related to my research topic. A major focus of the conference was 'a retrospective on Asian Olympics past'. Attendees include academics and journalists with expertise on Japan, Korea and China.
I attended lectures and forums on 'Olympic Transformation: How the Games Have Changed Asia and Asia has Changed the Games'. Discussion focused on how the Olympics have been used to re-present national identity in Asia, as well as analysing how economic development changed the political status of Japan, Korea and China and the subsequent geopolitical implications. Interesting points were also raised concerning the state sponsorship and politicisation of sport. I also found Bruce Cummings’ comments on the legacy of the Korean War and the Seoul Olympics very illuminating.
Another interesting panel discussion was entitled, 'Sports in Asia: The Olympics and Beyond'. Topics included the growing significance of sport in Northeast Asia in the age of Globalisation. Guoqi Xu talked of the Olympics representing a ‘long march’ for the Chinese, and how it was seen by the PRC as the crowning glory of Deng Xiaoping’s programme of modernisation initiated in the 1970s.
William Kelly talked of sport in Japanese social consciousness, and how former colonial sports such as baseball had been adopted and changed to take on a new Asian identity. The Olympics in 1964 represented the Japanese entering the international discourse in sporting and political terms; however this process did not induce cultural hegemony as sports were re-signified in the Japanese national narrative.
I found the experience of visiting Chicago both academically and personally stimulating. I have extremely fond memories of the vibrancy of the city and the friendliness of the people.
I am very grateful to have been awarded the Sir Stanley Tomlinson Research Scholarship, and would like to thank IAPS at the University of Nottingham for allowing me to take advantage of a unique opportunity to further my research.
Freddie has just graduated from the MA in Diplomacy.