Complicating the Relationship Between Sport and National Identity: The Case of Post-Socialist Slovenia

• Published in: Sociology of sport journal 2010-12, Vol.27 (4), p.371-389
• Main Authors: Topič, Mojca Doupona, Coakley, Jay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Colonialism; Identity; Knowledge; National Identity; Slovenia; Sports
• ISSN: 0741-1235; 1543-2785
• DOI: 10.1123/ssj.27.4.371

Sociology of sport knowledge on national identity is grounded in research that focuses primarily on long established nation-states with widely known histories. The relationship between sport and national identity in postsocialist/Soviet/colonial nations that have gained independence or sovereignty since 1990 has seldom been studied. This paper examines the role of sports in the formation of national identity in postsocialist Slovenia, a nation-state that gained independence in 1990. Our analysis focuses on the recent context in which the current but fluid relationship between sport and Slovenian national identity exists. Using Slovenia as a case study we identify seven factors that may moderate the effectiveness of sports as sites for establishing and maintaining national identity and making successful global identity claims in the twenty-first century. We conclude that these factors should be taken into account to more fully understand the sport-national identity relationship today, especially in new and developing nations.