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Wrestling with Hope: Sporting Aspirations and Neoliberal Subjectivity in Urban Senegal

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Volume 1

Sport Matters



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Wrestling with Hope

Sporting Aspirations and Neoliberal Subjectivity in Urban Senegal

Mark Hann

226 pages, 22 ills., bibliog., index

ISBN  978-1-80539-998-8 $135.00/£104.00 / Hb / Not Yet Published (June 2025)

eISBN 978-1-80539-999-5 eBook Not Yet Published


View CartYour country: - edit Recommend to your LibraryAvailable in GOBI®

Reviews

“It was a joy to read. It offers an original and nuanced analysis of the interplay between global and local sport industries and their impact on the lives of young men in a neoliberal Global South context.” • James Esson, Queen Mary University

Description

In Dakar, thousands of young men train daily on beaches, football pitches and sandy courtyards in pursuit of athletic success. Aspiring football players seek contracts in the lucrative leagues of the Global North, while hopeful wrestlers aim to captivate massive crowds as members of Senegal's beloved national sport. Despite their differences – (European) football's global appeal versus wrestling's traditional roots – both sports demand immense effort and come with high social costs. Wrestling with Hope follows the journeys of these precarious athletes as they confront the realities of their aspirations, grappling with themes of masculinity, belief systems and economic survival whilst navigating the complexities of a neoliberal landscape.

Mark Hann is a doctoral student in Anthropology, University of Amsterdam. He is part of the GLOBALSPORT research team, a multi-sited comparative ethnographic project, which is funded by the European Research Council and is based at the University of Amsterdam.

Subject: Anthropology (General)SociologyDevelopment StudiesUrban Studies
Area: Africa


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