Collective identity and contested allegiance: a case of migrant professional Fijian rugby players

Kanemasu, Yoko and Molnar, G. (2013) Collective identity and contested allegiance: a case of migrant professional Fijian rugby players. Sport in Society, 16 (7). pp. 863-882. ISSN 1743-0437

PDF - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (205kB)

Abstract

Rugby is widely regarded as Fiji’s ‘national’ sport and Fijian athletes are a prominent global presence in professional rugby today. Despite such prominence of Fijian athletes in professional rugby and the social, economic and symbolic significance of the sport in Fiji, there is a near absence of academic research on Fijian rugby migration. As Fiji has been deeply implicated in the interests and discourses of colonialism, ethnonationalism and masculinity, the aim of this study is to explore professional rugby
migration and international competitions as a context for collective identification by focusing on the interview-generated voices of rugby migrants as well as popular media
discourses. In doing so, we aim to provide an insight into the multiple dimensions of sport labour migration from the point of view of a developing society that supplies sport
labour across the globe. Our analysis will highlight the complex and contested nature of rugby migration as it is experienced and viewed by emigrant players and the Fiji public with a specific focus on the tension between core and periphery dimensions which surfaces at times of international competition such as the Rugby World Cup.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE) > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Yoko Kanemasu
Date Deposited:	24 Sep 2013 22:32
Last Modified:	20 Jun 2016 23:30
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/6580

Actions (login required)

View Item