Public Feminism in Times of Crisis
Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this week's review uncovers the connections between present and past displays of public feminism.
Posted on in Review of the Week
The Whole World Was Watching
With the Olympics in full swing, we take a trip back to the global politics of sporting events during the Cold War
Posted on July 26, 2021 in Review of the Week
The Whole World Was Watching: Sport in the Cold War
ed. by Robert Edelman and Christopher Young Stanford, 2020
334p index, 9781503610187 $65.00, 9781503611016
Based on a multiyear, international research project, this exhaustively researched collection is grounded in scholarly literature using extensive and varied materials, including new archival and primary sources. Organized in five parts covering the US, the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Asia, and postcolonial interactions, this volume discusses games, sports, athletes, and teams throughout the Cold War. A significant strength is the book’s breadth and depth, ensuring that multiple perspectives are represented while examining not only how governments used sports for international and domestic political ends, but also how citizens and fans interpreted games during the Cold War. Providing a more comprehensive analysis than the standard considerations of the US-USSR rivalry or the Olympics, this book fills the gap for a “go-to” text on the role of sports in the Cold War. This is especially useful for complicating well-known stories of standout Cold War sporting moments (like the excellent chapter on German figure skater Katarina Witt) and introducing lesser-known events and actors. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the history, sport history, or culture of the Cold War.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
Reviewer: A. Curtis, Lake Erie College
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – History, Geography & Area Studies
Choice Issue: Jun 2020
Enjoy this week’s review? Check out more reviews of related titles:
- Understanding the Olympics
- Gliding for Gold: The Physics of Winter Sports
- Spaceflight in the Shuttle Era and Beyond: Redefining Humanity’s Purpose in Space
Related Posts
-
-
Counter-narratives of Muslim American Women
Examining the prevalence of Islamophobia in education, this week's review "underscores the need for MusCrit" as a subset of critical race theory
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Spinsters, Widows and Chars
Catch the Oscars last night? This week's review analyzes how aging women are depicted in British cinema.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Women, Subalterns, and Ecologies in South and Southeast Asian Women’s Fiction
Happy Women's History Month! This week's review analyzes South and Southeast Asian women's fiction, uncovering the "relationships between the human, animal, and nonhuman in the face of eco-disasters and climate crises."
Posted on in Review of the Week