The ideas seem to be coming back to me now, and I feel fresh again. This molehill is less mountain now, and more molehill. There is more wind in the sails and other such metaphors. Lets try a shot at basic outline in advance of what needs to be done over the break. Wow – three more classes ‘till the end of the semester, it seems to have gone by in a blink, yet so much has been done. Change in my context has always been a slow process, a scary one, but between this thesis, the class and HON 299, I have really undergone (r)evolution. It feels great, it truly does.
Now, back to that outline…
~Intro: The intro should be a statement of purpose, and needs to contain all the major topics of the thesis. What this intro will contain is the who, what, where, why, and how of the thesis:
• Who: this thesis is about individuals and their relationship to power, authority and government in the context of soccer and what impact this has on identity. Using, among others, McClaren, Foucault, Machiavelli, Putnam, Freud, and Almond & Verba to create a theoretical framework for this dynamic, the parameters will be established.
• What: What relationship does soccer have to politics, and what relationship does politics have with soccer? Here the important aspects will be how an individual’s identity is shaped by their relationship to power and to the state is shaped by soccer, and specifically, which type of soccer (structured or unstructured).
• Where: This is really a global phenomenon, so I am addressing the question in fairly broad terms. The case studies of Germany and Iran (and the broader discussion on colonialism that will evolve) will be part of the “where”. The second “where” will be here in Maine, more specifically in Portland. This will be the field research, and will entail the observation of soccer in three different formats: 1) in an organized league game with pre-determined teams, one or more referees, distinct uniforms, and a result which affects the teams standing; 2) a game with no referee, no pre-determined teams, and no uniforms, but has a pre-determined time, and takes place in the regulated environment of a college building and has a limitation on participants; 3) and finally a totally unstructured game in every sense, with only the field at Back Bay acting as a fixed structure.
• Why: This thesis is important to me personally because it addresses the basic challenges I face in establishing my place as an individual in the larger systems of power and ideology in this world. As a voyage of self-discovery, I can think of nothing more fun than to travel through the world of soccer and politics as I try and see more of myself. But beyond these selfish motives, the opportunity to develop some unique scholarship/data (and learning the whole process this entails) is a contribution to the evolving debate around the nature of power and the individual. By putting this in an interdisciplinary arena, part political science, part history, part sociology, part scientific methodology, the conclusions to the central questions will be unique, and not simply a conclusion achieved through comparison of past scholarship.
• How: Just like this; by thinking, reading, and participating in all the ways I have described above. Much time will be spent at the library in deep discussion with various thinkers and theories, other time will dedicated to securing an IRB approval for the field study and then seeking out manifestations of the game in various contexts, and finally, time will be spent at this computer, simply writing, writing, and writing until I am happy or the deadline commands me to stop.
Chapter 1: This can be dedicated to the theoretical framework
Chapter 2: Discussion on the evolution of the game and its cultural, social, economic, and political impact.
Chapter 3: Field research discussion within the framework of the above theories and arguments.
Chapter 4: With the field research digested, a comparative study of Germany and Iran in the context of soccer, colonialism and identities will give some further context to the central questions.
Conclusion: Where do we go from here? An attempt to make significance out of this work beyond just an exercise in scholarship.
Ok, what else? Talk to Brxxxa about observing her team as an option of structured games. If the liberal view of civil society is to assist the government with the regulation of society and the distribution of resources, an the radical view is to see it as the area where society influences, contains, and balances (the power of) the state, then what can we say about soccer in this context? Will soccer be considered a part of civil society?
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