Journal article
Salvaging national pride: The 2010 taekwondo controversy and Taiwan’s quest for global recognition
International review for the sociology of sport, Vol.50(1), pp.98-114
02/2015
DOI: 10.1177/1012690212474264
Abstract
In this article, we analyze Taiwan’s grassroots reactions to the disqualification of taekwondo icon Yang Shu-chun in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, in order to examine how a technical dispute induced political and popular campaigns that variously blamed the governing party, the People’s Republic of China, and South Korea for inflicting shame on both the athlete and on Taiwan. Our research combines a historiography of Taiwan’s post-WWII experience, analysis of the nature of the Internet, and an assay of Taiwan’s three major newspapers. We find that the Yang incident became a symbolic vehicle for expressing the feeling of the nation’s citizens that Taiwan is trapped in international politics, and for restoring their national pride by transforming Yang into a virtuous heroine. We propose an attention to local, contingent narratives on sports, through which even regional games or failures serve to reinforce national identity.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Salvaging national pride: The 2010 taekwondo controversy and Taiwan’s quest for global recognition
- Creators
- Jiyeon Kang - University of IowaJae-On Kim - University of IowaYan Wang - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- International review for the sociology of sport, Vol.50(1), pp.98-114
- DOI
- 10.1177/1012690212474264
- ISSN
- 1012-6902
- eISSN
- 1461-7218
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2015
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology; Communication Studies
- Record Identifier
- 9984309652702771
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