Cricket and Nationhood in the Twenty-First Century

Book excerpt: This book presents a comprehensive exploration of the contemporary global landscape characterized by unsettling dynamics in identity politics, state authority, capitalism, nationalism, and nationhood, during the twenty-first century. Using cricket as a lens, it argues that the sport plays a profound role in a global society. This sport has not only generated the contexts and tools for shaping, promoting, displaying, and legitimizing nationalism and national identity, it has also served as a conduit for followers who express national optimism and aspirations. Cricket, as a political project, intricately interweaves territorial and emotional dimensions of belonging, attitudes, and involvement, thus offering a unique perspective for understanding the modern world across South Asia, Australia, Western Europe, Southern Africa, and North America. The chapters analyse how the audience of cricket -- about two billion people -- understand themselves in relation to their involvement in cricket, and what interactions among these groups tell us about global identity politics. Cricket provides communities with a dynamic space and social capital, facilitating the negotiation of gender, sexual, ethnic, and racial identities within their adopted environments. It has been a potent medium in shaping ethnic and racial identities, surpassing surface-level displays of national colours and unified chants. This book marks a significant step forward, delving into the comprehensive performative, emotional, and representational significance inherent in these circumstances.