Internationalism in the Olympic Movement: Idea and Reality between Nations, Cultures, and People

Internationalism as a social interaction in the Olympic Movement / Holger Preuß, Karsten Liese (eds.)

16.05.2011

The idea of "Internationalism" has manifested itself not only in the intercultural dialogue within the Olympic Movement, but also at the Olympic Games as the sportive, cultural, and media peak of the four-year-circle. The authors analyze and discuss Internationalism from different professional perspectives, against different cultural backgrounds, as well as in relation to diverse reference groups to widen the understanding of Internationalism as a social interaction in the Olympic Movement. They also aim at establishing the intersections and equal normative principles of "Internationalism" within the different cultural and institutional fields. These common grounds may be useful for the practical implementation and realization of "Internationalism" through Olympic sports and at Olympic Youth Camps.

The publication under discussion here is the result of a symposium held in 2009 in context of the project "Conditions for Internationalism as a Standard for the Olympics: A Social Constructivist View on Conception and Rationality in the World of the International Olympic Academy," which is being financially supported by the Center for Interculturale Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz ever since July 2008. The main aim of this research project is to monitor and to explain "internationalism" as a human behavior in the tension between normative conception and rationalist interests. The intention of this research project is focused on the question of how people from widely varying cultures and with different socializations live and experience "internationalism" in a relatively nonpolitical environment - at the International Olympic Academy (IOA) in this case.

This book is valuable reading for academics, practitioners, and policy makers in the field of sport sociology and Olympic studies.