A Foucauldian Interpretation of Paralympic Sport in the United Arab Emirates: An Exploration Through a Virtual Lens

Perkin, SJ and Howe, PD (2018) A Foucauldian Interpretation of Paralympic Sport in the United Arab Emirates: An Exploration Through a Virtual Lens. International Journal of the History of Sport, 34 (13). pp. 1418-1435. ISSN 0952-3367

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Abstract

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. In this paper, we explore the interface between the construction of disability and the culture of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a focus on the implications that these have on the provision for Paralympic sport. Despite the previous literature that has investigated the relationship between sport and the Arab world, there is a significant void at the intersection between disability and sport within the Arab community. This paper uses a Foucauldian lens to unpack the relationship between the concepts of disability and Arab culture and how these are linked to Paralympic ethos. To achieve this aim, this paper uses virtual ethnographic methods. The internet is a flexible tool often understood as a cultural artefact which is socially constructed and a technology that was produced by particular people which contextually situated priorities. It is also a technology which is shaped by the ways in which it is marketed, taught and used. We believe the internet integrates with traditional cultures therefore providing a greater understanding and continual observation of Paralympic sport in the UAE.