Cricket and race / Jack Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, Jack, 1940-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Minorities in sports--England.

Minorities in sports.

Nationalism and sports--England.

Nationalism and sports.

Cricket--Social aspects--England.

Cricket.

Cricket--Social aspects.

England.

Physical Description:

ix, 231 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Berg, 2001.

Summary:

Any attempt to understand the nature of social relations and cultural identities in modern Britain must consider the significance of sport. Sports have had a crucial role in shaping and sustaining national consciousness. Because cricket has so often been regarded as a symbol of Englishness, especially amongst those with economic and political influence, the role of race in the sport provides penetrating insights into English national identity, from the belief in racial superiority underlying imperial expansion through to more recent debates about sporting links with South Africa, and racial animosities at test matches.

This book examines cricket and race in England since the late nineteenth century. The author considers how far and in what respects cricket has reflected the racist assumptions of whites, and its role as an arena for ethnic conflict as well as understanding and harmony in England. In the first half of the twentieth century, commentary on the playing abilities of West Indian cricketers was often superficially laudatory but condescending in tone, and argued that racial characteristics would limit their achievements as players. More recently, campaigns to combat racism in the sport and the contributions of African-Caribbeans and Asians to recreational cricket show how central cricket is to appraisals of the cultural factors that have shaped ethnic relations. This absorbing book provides an incisive overview of the interconnection among cricket, race and culture.

Contents:

1 Cricket, Race and Empire before 1914 15

2 Cricket and Racism Between the Wars 33

3 The D'Oliveira Affair and the Stop the Seventy Tour Campaign 53

4 Playing with Apartheid: The Rebel Tours to South Africa 87

5 'Fast and Brutish': Reactions to the West Indian Pace Attack 117

6 'Pak Off the Cheats' 137

7 Playing the Game: Race and Recreational Cricket 173.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-215) and index.

ISBN:

1859733042

1859733093

OCLC:

45735801