Between globalization and local 'modernity' [Ressource électronique] : the diffusion and modernization of football in Algeria

This article highlights the importance of football in Algeria as a cultural and political vehicle; a) during the colonial period as a mean of resisting western (colonial) hegemony; b) in the post-colonial era as an instrument mobilized by the FLN (National Liberation Front) state for political legitimation, and international representation of the Algerian socialist development project; and c), in the contemporary context, as part of the transition process towards a market economy. The article also discusses the relationship between football, the transition towards a market economy and the development of a multi-party polity that may be regarded as the most significant precursor to the promotion of the professionalization of football in Algeria. The study aims at synthesizing the history of modern sport in Algeria, particularly football, as part of a transformative, 'glocal' process which encompasses the response of Algerian society to the imposition of western modernity and other secular and non-secular ideologies (namely, socialism, populism, pan-Arabism, pan-Africanism, pan-Islamism, and western liberalism). This suggests, in line with the argument of Gole, that though modernity may develop transitionally, it does so in locally distinctive forms and thus (professional) sport in the Algerian context will mean something distinct from sport in other national / local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Soccer & Society is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)