This book explores the significance of sport in the understanding of past and current societal dynamics in the Arab world. It examines sport in relation to cultural, political and economic changes in the Arab World, including nation-state building, the formation of national identity and international relations in post-colonial context. This book sets out a new critical perspective on our understanding of the society and history of the Arab World through the study of sport - an area rarely referred to in literature on the region. The book examines sport in relation to cultural, political and economic changes, including nation-state building, the formation of national identity and international relations in post-colonial context. It also analyzes the commercialization of sport and the growth of sport media broadcasting in the Arab World. The author explores how sport in the Arab World has been the site of political agitation and social contestation, arguing that the sports arena can still offer the possibility of Arab nations to compete at international level and the Arab people a chance to claim some symbolic victory against their hard socio-economic and political realities.

Introduction ---- 1. Sport and Development, or Development through Sport in the Arab World --- 2. Football in Post-Colonial and "Post-Conflict" Algeria --- 3. The Growth and Challenges of the Sport Broadcasting Market in the Arab World --- 4. Sport Policies and Politics in North Africa --- 5. The Business of Sport in the Arabian Peninsula --- 6. The Arab World in the Global Sporting Arena: An Islamic Perspective ---- General Conclusion and the Way Forward for Research on Sport in the Arab World.

Includes bibliograpical references and index.