Endangered Species of the Physical Cultural Landscape: Globalization, Nationalism, and Safeguarding Traditional Folk Games
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 3-17-2021 9:00 AM Endangered Species of the Physical Cultural Landscape: Globalization, Nationalism, and Safeguarding Traditional Folk Games Thomas Fabian, The University of Western Ontario Supervisor: Barney, Robert K., The University of Western Ontario A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Kinesiology © Thomas Fabian 2021 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Fabian, Thomas, "Endangered Species of the Physical Cultural Landscape: Globalization, Nationalism, and Safeguarding Traditional Folk Games" (2021). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 7701. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7701 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract Folk sports are the countertype of modern sports: invented traditions, bolstered by tangible ritual and intangible myth, played by the common folk in order to express a romantic ethnic identity. Like other cultural forms, traditional sports and games around the world are becoming marginalized in the face of modernization and globalization. In 2003, UNESCO ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in an attempt to counter such trends of cultural homogenization. As elements of intangible cultural heritage, folk sports now fall under the auspices of UNESCO safeguarding policies. As such, the objective of this study was to understand the reactions of UNESCO and national agencies to the folk sport revival movement and, conversely, to understand the effects of supranational safeguarding policies on the marginalization of folk sport. Through the lens of globalization theory, the primary research methodology employed was a comparative case study analysis of four UNESCO-safeguarded folk sports (Turkish oil wrestling, Brazilian capoeira, Kyrgyz kok boru, and Irish hurling). The selection of the case studies was based on geography, sport type, safeguarding mechanisms, type of nationalism, and marginality. Henning Eichberg’s folk sport modernization outcomes of sportification, pedagogization, and folklorization figured prominently throughout the cases, along with two newly-proposed methods: retraditionalization and nationalization. Upon examination of the four case studies, it became clear that the nomination of local folk sports to the UNESCO Representative List was dictated by touristic and nationalistic i motivations, rather than cultural safeguarding ones. Although it was not evident that UNESCO heritagization had a direct affect on the practice, status, and meaning of folk sports, there was an affect on the relationship between folk sport preservation and nation-building narratives: External nationalists vie for global recognition through ‘UNESCO status’; folk sport (also termed ethnosport) remains a symbol of ethnonational identity; and cultural nationalists seek to bolster national unity through shared cultural traditions, such as the adoption of national folk sports. By mobilizing knowledge across a spectrum of academic disciplines, this study provides a renewed perspective to the notion of intangible cultural heritage and folk sporting traditions in our increasingly homogeneous global village. Keywords: traditional folk games; cultural homogenization; globalization; UNESCO; intangible cultural heritage; nationalism; oil wrestling; capoeira; kok boru; hurling ii Summary for Lay Audiences Folk sports are local, ethnic, traditional games, such as French pétanque, Japanese kendo, or coconut tree climbing races in Polynesia. In the twenty-first century, such games feature very little in our everyday lives. The effects of globalization and modernization have marginalized a vast diversity of games the world over. Today, people are more interested in the spectacle of the Olympic Games and professional sports than in the precursors to the modern sport- entertainment business. The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, however, is a global instrument that’s objectives are to preserve such cultural traditions. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can be defined as those aspects of a community’s culture intrinsic to its identity and uniqueness, and folk sports fall within this label. As such, for the last decade, over thirty folk sports have been inscribed in the UNESCO ICH Representative List. The aims of this dissertation are to analyze the effects of UNESCO’s universal safeguarding policies on the local contexts at which they are aimed, understand why and how folk games are being marginalized (and whether it even matters), and to study the relationship between folk sport preservation and nationalism. The primary methodology used to frame these objectives is a case study comparison. Four UNESCO-recognized folk sports (Turkish oil wrestling, Brazilian capoeira, Kyrgyz kok boru, and Irish hurling) were selected based on the following criteria: geography, sport type, safeguarding mechanisms, marginality, and type of nationalism exhibited. iii A common theme across all the case studies was that UNESCO nomination was generally motivated by tourism and nationalism, rather than by conservationism. For instance, external nationalists vie for global recognition through ‘UNESCO status,’ folk sport (also termed ethnosport) remains a symbol of ethnonational identity, and cultural nationalists seek to bolster national unity through shared cultural traditions, such as the adoption of national folk sports. Although it was not evident that UNESCO heritagization had a direct affect on the practice, status, and meaning of folk sports, there was an affect on the relationship between folk sport preservation and the nation-building process. iv Acknowledgements Although a doctoral dissertation is meant to be an individual process – downright lonely at times – there are a number of people who have supported me through this journey of (self-) discovery to whom I am eternally grateful. First, and foremost, I would like to express gratitude to my partner, Laura. We started this journey in January of 2017, one month before the birth of our first, Zsofia. Four years later, after relocating twice (Toronto to London, ON, to Antigonish, NS), starting a full-time teaching position, the coronavirus outbreak, and the birth of our second, Matylda, we are finishing it. She has been my rock, my sounding board, my safe space. Lau – Thank you for helping me do this. You are the embodiment of patience and love, the perfect mother to our two girls, and my best friend. Second, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge Zsofi (Matylda is too young to get any airtime here). Although she does not understand what I was working on, she does know that I was working (a lot). Especially during the summer of 2020, during the prime of her 3s, I felt like I was not always there for her. Zsofi – Going forward, I vow to spend our summers together (as long as you’ll have me). Third, although my mother could not be here to witness this feat, her spirit, support (i.e. nudging), and pride were reflected by her mother, my favourite person. Nagyi – Te vagy a legnagyobb bajnokom. Mindig fogok nevetni (és élni szerint) a tanácsodon: “Az ember ne legyen egy hulye.” Ezt a disszertációt neked szentelem. v Family has always been important to me. To that end, I would like to take this moment to thank Balint, Moni, Julian, Oliver, and my father for the love and the laughter – you all ground me. Thank you to my aunt Helen, who is probably the only one that’s going to read this. Thank you to David and Lucie, without whose generosity and support I would not be where I am today. Thank you to my uncle Zoli and aunt Patti, who have given me countless tips and advice (an extra thank you to Patti for helping me with my prospectus). Next, I would like to thank the folks that have helped me academically. Thank you to Jenn Plaskett for her endless positivity, availability, and orientation. Thank you to David Howe for inspiring my anthropological interests. Thank you to Mac Ross for helping me frame this project with his incredibly insightful prospectus feedback. And thank you to Francine McKenzie for agreeing to join my committee, for her thoughtful and rigorous feedback, and for helping me grapple with making sense of my dissertation. Finally, thank you to my supervisor, Bob Barney, who pushed me in ways I did not think possible. I have learned much from you, Bob, thank you for taking me on. On a last note, I would like to thank the two folk sport revivalists who inspired my research: Henning Eichberg and Roland Renson. Your works were a breath of fresh air to me in the midst of my academic journey. May my contributions to the field live up to your standards. vi Table of Contents Abstract......................................................................................................................................................... i Summary for Lay Audiences ...................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................