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Sport as an Agent for Integration: Malaysia as a case-study Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999).

In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

Significance Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Wester-centric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/ or moderate Islamic states.

Conceptual Framework Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

NATIONAL UNITY

CONFLICT

INTER-ETHNIC

NATIONAL BUILDING VIA SPORT

IMAGINED COMMUNITY

THE ‘OTHER’ IS EXTERNALISED

CONSTRUCTION OF AN OVERARCHING NATIONAL IDENTITY

Griffith Business Business School School Griffith

Research Questions

1.

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

2.

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

4.

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of: •

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127)

And to assist with: •

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121)

Method The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of: •

The Malaysian media

•

Official Malaysian government policy

•

Documentation from Malaysian sports organisations

•

Interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured)

References Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

The rationale for this approach lies in a belief that any ‘research question is unlikely to be about a simple matter of fact’ (Richards, 2009, p. 149). As such there is a need to consider different perspectives, views and ways of interpretation (Lyons and Coyle, 2011), so as to bring to bear on the research question ‘different sorts of data or methods of handling data’ (Richards, 2009, p.148).

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

Implications

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to •

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nation-building tool in Malaysia

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A sociopolitical perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to:

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe. Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

•

develop new knowledge and theory

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”.

Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

griffith.edu.au/gbs griffith.edu.au/gbs

Sport as an Agent for Integration: Malaysia as a case-study

Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999). In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

Conceptual Framework Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Method

CONFLICT

The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of:

INTER-ETHNIC

•

The Malaysian media

•

Official Malaysian government policy

•

Documentation from Malaysian sports organisations

•

Interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured)

References Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

Implications

Significance Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

Research Questions

2.

4.

NATIONAL UNITY

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

1.

NATIONAL BUILDING

VIA SPORT

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to •

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nation-building tool in Malaysia

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to:

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Westercentric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/or moderate Islamic states.

•

develop new knowledge and theory

THE ‘OTHER’ IS EXTERNALISED

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

IMAGINED COMMUNITY

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

CONSTRUCTION OF AN OVERARCHING NATIONAL IDENTITY

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of:

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A socio-political perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe.

Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

•

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127)

And to assist with: •

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121)

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”. Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

Griffith Business School

griffith.edu.au/gbs

Sport as an Agent for Integration:

Malaysia as a case-study

Alexander Roper (s..........) Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management Supervisors:

Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999). In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

Conceptual Framework Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

NATIONS IN MALAYSIA

‘TOGETHER’ BUT SEPARATE: NOT ‘MALAYSIANS’ BUT...

Significance

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Westercentric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/or moderate Islamic states.

Research Questions

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

2.

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

4.

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Method The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of: Malay & other

Ethinic Chinese

Indigenous groups

Ethinic Indian

Extremely difficult as proven by 1969

Non-Bumiputera

Bumiputera Malays & other indigenous groups

Ethnic Chinese

Ethinc Indians

Malaysian Berefit of a common past, the Malaysian authorities had to construct a common future to unify its country’s diverse peoples.

Preliminary Conceptual Map Overview

“The identity of a nation of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people” (Hobsbawm and Ranger, 1990, p. 143).

ANTECEDENTS

RESPONSE

OUTCOMES Imagined Community

National Unity Inter-Ethnic Tensions Conflict

• the Malaysian media • official Malaysian government policy

No common culture Nation-Building in Malaysia

Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

1.

NationBuilding

Via Sport

• documentation from Malaysian sports organisations • interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured).

Implications

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to:

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nation-building tool in Malaysia

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia.

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to: •

develop new knowledge and theory

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of: •

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127).

(Anderson, 1983; Hobsbawm & Ranger, 1990; Tajfel and Turner, 1979)

And to assist with: •

Griffith Business School

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

•

The ‘Other’ is Externalised Construction of an Overeaching National Identity

References Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121).

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A socio-political perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe.

Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”. Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

griffith.edu.au/gbs

Sport as an Agent for Integration:

Malaysia as a case-study

Alexander Paul Roper (s2790932) Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management Supervisors:

Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999). In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

Significance Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Westercentric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/or moderate Islamic states.

Conceptual Framework Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

NATIONS IN MALAYSIA

1.

Research Questions

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

2.

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

4.

‘TOGETHER’ BUT SEPARATE: NOT ‘MALAYSIANS’ BUT...

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Method The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of: • the Malaysian media

Malay & other

Ethinic Chinese

Indigenous groups

Ethinic Indian

Extremely difficult as proven by 1969

Malays & other indigenous groups

Ethnic Chinese

Ethinc Indians

Malaysian Berefit of a common past, the Malaysian authorities had to construct a common future to unify its country’s diverse peoples.

Preliminary Conceptual Map Overview

•

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nation-building tool in Malaysia

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia.

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to: •

develop new knowledge and theory

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

“The identity of a nation of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people” (Hobsbawm and Ranger, 1990, p. 143).

ANTECEDENTS

RESPONSE

OUTCOMES Imagined Community

National Unity NationBuilding

Via Sport

The ‘Other’ is Externalised Construction of an Overeaching National Identity

Conflict

(Anderson, 1983; Hobsbawm & Ranger, 1990; Tajfel and Turner, 1979)

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

Implications

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to:

Non-Bumiputera

Bumiputera

Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

• interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured).

Nation-Building in Malaysia

Inter-Ethnic Tensions

References

• official Malaysian government policy • documentation from Malaysian sports organisations

No common culture

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A socio-political perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe.

Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of: •

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127).

And to assist with: •

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121).

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”. Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

Griffith Business School

griffith.edu.au/gbs

Sport as an Agent for Integration:

Malaysia as a case-study

Alexander Paul Roper (s2790932) Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management Supervisors:

Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999). In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

Significance Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Westercentric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/or moderate Islamic states.

Conceptual Framework

Research Questions

Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

NATIONS IN MALAYSIA

‘TOGETHER’ BUT SEPARATE: NOT ‘MALAYSIANS’ BUT...

1.

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

2.

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

4.

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Method

The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of: Malay & other

Ethinic Chinese

Indigenous groups

Ethinic Indian

No common culture Nation-Building in Malaysia Extremely difficult as proven by 1969

Non-Bumiputera

Bumiputera Malays & other indigenous groups

Ethnic Chinese

Ethinc Indians

•

the Malaysian media

•

official Malaysian government policy

•

documentation from Malaysian sports organisations

•

interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured).

Implications

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to:

Preliminary Conceptual Map Overview

“The identity of a nation of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people”

RESPONSE

Inter-Ethnic Tensions Conflict

OUTCOMES Imagined Community

National Unity NationBuilding

Via Sport

The ‘Other’ is Externalised Construction of an Overeaching National Identity

(Anderson, 1983; Hobsbawm & Ranger, 1990; Tajfel and Turner, 1979)

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia.

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to: •

develop new knowledge and theory

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of: •

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127).

And to assist with: •

Griffith Business School

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nationbuilding tool in Malaysia

(Hobsbawm and Ranger, 1990, p. 143).

ANTECEDENTS

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

•

Malaysian Berefit of a common past, the Malaysian authorities had to construct a common future to unify its country’s diverse peoples.

References Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121).

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A socio-political perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe.

Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”. Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

griffith.edu.au/gbs

Sport as an Agent for Integration: Malaysia as a case-study Alexander Paul Roper (s2790932) Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management Supervisors: Professor Christopher Auld and Dr Olav Muurlink.

Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999). In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

Significance Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Westercentric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/or moderate Islamic states.

Conceptual Framework

Research Questions

Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

NATIONS IN MALAYSIA

‘TOGETHER’ BUT SEPARATE: NOT ‘MALAYSIANS’ BUT...

1.

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

2.

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

4.

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Method

The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of: Malay & other Ethinic Chinese Indigenous groups

Ethinic Indian

No common culture Nation-Building in Malaysia Extremely difficult as proven by 1969

Non-Bumiputera

Bumiputera Malays & other indigenous groups

Ethnic Chinese

Ethinc Indians

•

the Malaysian media

•

official Malaysian government policy

•

documentation from Malaysian sports organisations

•

interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured).

Implications

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to:

Preliminary Conceptual Map Overview

“The identity of a nation of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people”

RESPONSE

Inter-Ethnic Tensions Conflict

OUTCOMES Imagined Community

National Unity NationBuilding

Via Sport

The ‘Other’ is Externalised Construction of an Overeaching National Identity

(Anderson, 1983; Hobsbawm & Ranger, 1990; Tajfel and Turner, 1979)

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia.

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to: •

develop new knowledge and theory

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of: •

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127).

And to assist with: •

Griffith Business School

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nationbuilding tool in Malaysia

(Hobsbawm and Ranger, 1990, p. 143).

ANTECEDENTS

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

•

Malaysian Berefit of a common past, the Malaysian authorities had to construct a common future to unify its country’s diverse peoples.

References Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121).

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A socio-political perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe.

Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”. Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

griffith.edu.au/gbs

2013

QCA GOLD COAST Open day

2013

QCA GOLD COAST Open day

asset to liveworm ?

what have i learnt from my experience ?

Sport as an Agent for Integration: Malaysia as a case-study Alexander Paul Roper (s2790932) Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management Supervisors: Professor Christopher Auld and Dr Olav Muurlink.

Abstract

Viewed alternately as a showcase of racial harmony and a tinderbox of explosive communal tensions (Zakaria, 1987), the importance of managing ethnic conflict and promoting national integration in Malaysia cannot be overstated (Ishak & Fauzee, 2001). Since its independence, almost all key national policies devised by the state have had a direct bearing on the issue of nation-building (Ishak, 1999). In contemporary Malaysia this continues to be the case, with the management of ethnic conflict and promotion of national integration continuing to dominate political discourse (Shamsul , 2009).

For successive Malaysian administrations, sport has been central to managing inter-ethnic tensions and promoting nationhood. The thesis examines in both the applied and theoretical setting, the merits (both utopian and dystopian) of sport as an agent of integration, and more specifically sport’s ability to forge (imagined or otherwise) the multi-ethnic ‘Bangsa’ or ‘1Malaysia’n nation as articulated by Prime Ministers Mahathir (1991) and Najib (2010) respectively.

Significance Over the past four decades there has been an exponential and irrefutable increase in the significance attached to sport. Sport in the very simplest of terms matters; it matters because perhaps no other cultural activity affects as many people or provides such opportunities for self-promotion as does sport. Alongside this increased appreciation of sport has come a concomitant increase in those who have made it the primary focus of their academic work – a fact borne out by the burgeoning number of publications, journals and departments which permeate the contemporary academic landscape.

The thesis maps this increased significance attached to sport in one specific location, Malaysia. In so doing, the thesis acts as a counter to accusations of Orientalist assumptions and Westercentric bias in sports academia, clearly evident its detractors say, in the lack of studies undertaken into locales outside of Europe, North America and the Antipodes (Slack, 2003; van Bottenburg, 2001). Given both this, and the increased importance attached to sport in the developing world in the contemporary era, the significance of the thesis is, it is argued, apparent. Moreover, with Malaysia as its focal point, the thesis provides a case- study which is both relevant and potentially valuable to a plethora of developing, post-colonial, and/or moderate Islamic states.

Conceptual Framework

Research Questions

Utilising Anderson’s (1983), ‘imagined communities’, Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1990) ‘invented traditions’, and Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) ‘social identity’ theories, the thesis is underpinned by the following conceptual map overview.

NATIONS IN MALAYSIA

‘TOGETHER’ BUT SEPARATE: NOT ‘MALAYSIANS’ BUT...

1.

What is the Malaysian authorities’ rationale for using sport in the country’s nation-building project?

2.

How has sport been operationalised in Malaysia to assist with nation-building?

3.

To what extent is the way in which sport is operationalised consistent with the Malaysian government’s stated objectives?

4.

What is the nature of any evidence to suggest that sport has been successful in Malaysia’s nation-building project?

Method

The thesis adopts a triangulated approach incorporating an analysis of: Malay & other Ethinic Chinese Indigenous groups

Ethinic Indian

No common culture Nation-Building in Malaysia Extremely difficult as proven by 1969

Non-Bumiputera

Bumiputera Malays & other indigenous groups

Ethnic Chinese

Ethinc Indians

•

the Malaysian media

•

official Malaysian government policy

•

documentation from Malaysian sports organisations

•

interviews with key stakeholders (semi-structured).

Implications

The thesis’ analysis of the Malaysian authorities’ utilisation of sport provides an opportunity to:

Preliminary Conceptual Map Overview

“The identity of a nation of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people”

RESPONSE

Imagined Community

National Unity Inter-Ethnic Tensions Conflict

OUTCOMES

NationBuilding

Via Sport

The ‘Other’ is Externalised Construction of an Overeaching National Identity

(Anderson, 1983; Hobsbawm & Ranger, 1990; Tajfel and Turner, 1979)

Coyle, A., & Lyons, E. (Eds) (2011). “The social psychology of religion: Current research themes”. A special issue of the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 21, 461-540.

•

examine how sport is operationalised for nation-building in Malaysia

Government of Malaysia (1967). National Sport Foundation. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

•

examine the impact sport had had (or not) on building national cohesion within Malaysia.

Hobsbawm, E. J. and T. O. Ranger (1992).. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Further, due to the lack of research undertaken into sport in locales such as Malaysia, this study has the capacity to: •

develop new knowledge and theory

•

provide an important and timely scholarly contribution to academic fields including, but not limited to, sports studies and Malaysian studies

•

aide policy makers in their understanding of the benefits and limitations of sport as a policy for engendering unity, and how this policy might be best implemented.

Finally, the study is seen to address accusations of: •

Orientalism in sports studies (van Bottenburg, 2001)

•

a predominately Western-centric focus in the field of sport studies (Slack, 2003, p. 127).

And to assist with: •

Griffith Business School

Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). “‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’: Sport and Society in Colonial Malaya.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 19(2-3): 129-156.

examine the rationale for employing sport as a nationbuilding tool in Malaysia

(Hobsbawm and Ranger, 1990, p. 143).

ANTECEDENTS

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso Books.

•

Malaysian Berefit of a common past, the Malaysian authorities had to construct a common future to unify its country’s diverse peoples.

References Adair, J. G. (1984). “The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artefact.” Journal of Applied Psychology. 69(2): 334-345.

the development of ‘good general theories of sport’ (Slack, 2003, p. 121).

Ishak, M. M. and M. S. O. Fawzee (2001). Sport and nation-building in Malaysia: A socio-political perspective. Department of Sport Sciences, Brunel University, UK. Ishak, M. M. B. (1999). From plural society to Bangsa Malaysia: ethnicity and nationalism in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Mahathir Mohamad.. (1991) Malaysia Melangkah ke Hadap an. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa. Kuala Lum pur, Malaysia.

Ministry of Youth and Sport (1988) National Sports Policy. Malaysia . Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Malaysia.

Razak, M. N. A. (2009). The 1Malaysia Concept Part 1. Retrieved March, 21, 2013.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. L:ondon: SAGE Publications Limited.

Shamsul, A. B. (2009). Malaysian host society as a mirror for Europe.

Proceedings of the France–Malaysia Anthropology Conference held at Hôtel d’Assezat, Toulouse, France, on 23rd March 2009.

Slack, T. (2003). “Sport in the global society: Shaping the domain of sport studies.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 20(4): 118-129.

Tajfel, H. and J. Turner (1979). “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. W. G. Austin & S. Worchel. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterrey, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 33–48.

Unit, E. P. (2010). Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department Putrajaya.

Van Bottenburg, M. (2001). Global games. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Zakaria, H. A. (1987). “Stability, Security, and National Development in Malaysia: An Appraisal”. Durable Stability in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies.

griffith.edu.au/gbs