ENGLISH

Spartakiads: The Politics of Physical Culture in Czechoslovakia

By Petr , Roubal

Book information

Publisher
Karolinum
Year
2019
ISBN
9788024638515
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
22 MB (23139167 bytes)
Series
Václav Have Series
Pages
0\425
Time added
2020-01-24 13:36:27
BodyCommunismCultural AnthropologyCzechoslovakiaFoucaultGeertzgendergymnasticsmasculinitynationalismritualsokolSpartakiadsportstadium

Description

In this book, Petr Roubal explores the political, social, and aesthetical dimensions of these mass physical demonstrations, with a particular focus on their roots in the völkisch nationalism of the German Turner movement and the Czech Sokol gymnastic tradition. Roubal draws on extensive interviews and archival research to investigate the many facets of this sporting tradition, from the reactions of ordinary, non-political gymnasts who appropriated and challenged official rituals to the organizational demands of the Spartakiads, such as the incredible finances involved and the knowledge and skills required from hundreds of former Sokol officials. Featuring an abundance of archival photographs, Spartakiad takes a new approach to Communist history by opening a window onto the mentality and mundanity behind the Iron Curtain.

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