Sport, tourism and identity: Japan, rugby union and the transcultural maul

An edited book which CTR researchers; Prof. Tom Hinch and Assoc/Prof. Adam Doering joined to contribute a book chapter was published.

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Title

(Chapter10)

Sport, tourism and identity: Japan, rugby union and the transcultural maul

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Authors

Tom Hinch, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta, Canada / Distinguished University Professor, Wakayama University, Japan

James Hingham, Professor, University of Otago, New Zealand / Visiting Professor, University of Stavanger, Norway

Adam Doering, Associate Professor, Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University, Japan

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Abstract

The roles that sport and tourism play in identity building are complex and poorly understood. This chapter focuses on the sport, tourism and identity nexus as it relates to the mobilities that are inherent in rugby in Japan. We open with an overview of sport, tourism and identity drawing on the previous work of Higham and Hinch. The chapter then examines the contested identities of the Japanese national rugby team with its history of foreign player involvement and its current success, which coincides with the fact that one-third of its test squad is made up of athletes who were not born in Japan. We then explore the potential for sport tourism to shape national identity specifically in relation to Japan¡¯s hosting of the 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC). Drawing upon Morgan¡¯s theorisation of event delivery and host-guest experiences, we discuss the ¡®transcultural maul¡¯; the contested identities of the Japanese national rugby team, and how interpretations of contested identities will be portrayed and conveyed in the hosting of the Japan 2019 RWC.

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Keywords

transcultural Japan, rugby, Sporting identities, sport tourism

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Source

Sport and Contested Identity

Edited by David Hassan, Ciaran Acton

Routledge

2017.9.3

ISBN: 978-1-13-869668-6