Making sense of ‘Ireland’, sport and identity: the craft of doing sociology

Abstract

Eric Dunning influenced the development of curricula and research agendas in sociology, history, social science and sports studies, internationally, in the UK and in Ireland. Dunning was also doctoral supervisor to, and academic colleague/mentor and friend of, both authors (at Leicester, Dublin and Chester). Inspired by him, this paper reflects on the craft of sociological research. The case study is the struggle for recognition of 'Ireland' in international athletics and the associated painstaking ongoing archival and mixed methods research work in multiple venues, involving sporting, state and personal papers, interviews and oral history sources. Such a history of the social dynamics of charisma and shame between the so-called 'mother country' (Great Britain) and a restless dominion (Ireland) was by no means structureless or patternless, but ontologically interdependent with life today. Accordingly, we consider several themes: the interplay between theory and evidence, the involvementdetachment balance and exploring knowledge figurations. In line with Dunning (and Elias), the paper adopts an anticipatory motif, that is to say, the work of understanding social relations between the 'British' and 'Irish' 'then' and 'now' is not finished. This work is one step in carrying forth the baton -the stock of intergenerational knowledge -about doing sociology, handed to us in trust by Dunning.

Norbert Elias’s concept of the ‘drag-effect’: implications for the study of the relationship between national identity and sport

“…The place of sport in regard to the rise or resurgence in national consciousness amongst contemporary Europeans is significant since this extremely popular social practice has the power to both unite and divide large numbers of citizens. Recent figurational studies have demonstrated this to be the case (see for example Liston and Deighan 2019;Liston and Kitching 2020;Liston and Maguire 2020). Throughout the history of British sport one can observe division between the nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) in terms of the organisation of international sporting contests, including for instance, football, cricket and rugby World Cups as well as the Commonwealth Games.…”

The ‘Great Game’ and Sport: Identity, Contestation and Irish–British Relations in the Olympic Movement

“…This diplomacy was a new phase in Irish-British relations, involving official and non-state diplomats. Travelling in the same direction, there were differences in emphasis in their practice of statecraft, including the practice of sportcraft (Liston and Maguire, 2020).…”

“…Yet Burghley and Holt ensured, via Australian organizers, that EIR was displayed on the athletics scoreboard for Irishman Ronnie Delany's gold medal win in the 1500 metres, and GBI (not GBR) for British runner, Hewson (Liston and Maguire, 2020).…”

“…Let us first consider the historical context of Irish-British relations; for the legacy of Empire and colonialism comprized a 'Great Game' (Liston and Maguire, 2020), between Great Britain and Ireland, a restless dominion (Harkness, 1969). For a key battleground in this was the Olympic movement of the twentieth century and the related quest for dominance, symbolic and exciting significance.…”

“…The actions of protagonists in our case study demonstrate that Olympic and international sport was, for them, a diplomatic, cultural and symbolic means of projecting a 32-county 'Ireland' on the international stage in the aftermath of World War Two (WWII). Here, we focus on the quest for exciting significance by non-state actors / sportive diplomats, who were the forerunners of a more specialized diplomacy of international sport todaysportcraft (Liston and Maguire, 2020). This was both a 'patriot game' and a struggle for 'soft…”