The East Asian Olympiads, 1934–2008

Book excerpt: The East Asian Olympiads, 1934-2008: Building Bodies and Nations in Japan, Korea, and China is the first scholarly volume to focus on the collective East Asian experience of the Olympic Games. These twelve essays, from the diverse disciplinary perspectives of anthropology, geography, history, political science, and sports studies, explore how the Asian Olympics were used as patriotic exercises and yardsticks of social progress, shaped ideals of individual health and national strength, and were manipulated by states, interest groups, commercial concerns, and the media. This innovative collection suggests that the Olympics have played an important role in the creation of a modern East Asian identity in a world—and a global sporting culture—still dominated by the West.