{"product_id":"the-football-paradox-aaron-w-hughes-9781350527379","title":"The Football Paradox: Religion, Nationalism and Globalization","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBy examining football, and exploring the religious, economic and political forces that interact with the sport, this book demonstrates how the global game becomes a prism through which we can view and understand the world we inhabit.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With over three billion fans in the world, football has a larger following than either Christianity or Islam, the world's two largest religions, and in this book, Aaron W. Hughes illustrates how football and religion function in our increasingly globalized world. At the same time, the book considers how our globalized world has changed our understanding of both football and religion. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Hughes situates football within the larger discourse of religion and sports, paying attention to some of the sociological features of sport and showing how football can function as a modern religion, especially in the context of the postmodern urban landscape. Drawing upon a set of case studies and examples from the MENA region, Europe, and North and South America, and using theoretical frameworks from religious studies and global studies, each chapter highlights common themes and articulates questions for future research. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Through case studies, such as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, this book highlights how the sport has increasingly become an important arena for soft power and sportswashing, yet paradoxically also of female empowerment and the symbolic construction of cultural belonging. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This book concludes by making the case for the creation of a new subfield called \"football studies\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Aaron W. Hughes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1350527378\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781350527379\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Academic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/19\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.08lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.56d","brand":"Aaron W. Hughes","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48114058395903,"sku":"9781350527379","price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e6aa842a-b06a-4816-9e33-5bd2e051f074.jpg?v=1769618841","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-football-paradox-aaron-w-hughes-9781350527379","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}