The stratigic use of 'um'

Thinking Matters has been a mixed blessing in someways. Though I am thoroughly please that I did it, the down side was it felt like the denouement to my thesis. Consequently I am having a hard time mustering energy to do the last few steps left.

Fortunately I have good reasons to procrastinate a bit longer: I waiting for feed back on chapter three from my advisers; corrections and advice from friends; a stack of other homework that needs addressing PRONTO! Well, that is what I am telling myself anyway.

That all being said, Thinking Matters was a blast, and the best way to see how I will do during my official thesis defense (scheduled for the 8th of May at 5pm: Room 302 Luther Bonney Hall). My presentation was ad lib-ed, with only a few notes and the Power Point as a trigger. It worked well except that, according to some critics, I over-used the term 'um' (often referred to as 'uhh') It makes sense, uhh, because I was, um, speaking of the top of my, uhh, head. As a result, um, I was only a sentence or two, uhh, ahead of myself; 'um', uhh, then acted as a pause for reflection. I think the, uhh, answer is for me to have more written down, and perhaps rehearsed a few times prior to the 8th.

The debate following all the presentations was really interesting also (as was the post-presentation debate & wine with AL), and gave me a few going points to reflect on. Considering the title of the thesis (Soccer in Politics: Bridging Gaps or Building Borders?), the question to ask is, is it an either or situation? Really, my conclusion is that it is both at the same time, and therein lies the problem. The critical multiculturalism I address at the end is, um, a way that this paradox can be controlled, but the paradox will still exist. See, soccer cannot be anything but a competitive game that pits one team/faction against another; if it were anything else, then it wouldn't be soccer anymore.

Anyway, tonight I'm thinking about a different paradox: Turkish society and its desire to be part of Europe, yet hold on to Islamic (i.e. non-western) traditions. Its a paper for my dear friend (literally!) MF.

Someone asked me what I did with my weekend after Thinking Matters: I went to Back Bay and played soccer. What else could I do?

Thinking Matters Abstract

Title: Soccer in Politics: Identity, Power, and Nationalism

"The appeal of soccer to individuals of all cultures, genders, and ethnicities has made it the world sport. This popularity has not come without a price however, as most places with soccer cultures also see violence and discrimination.

Creating a theoretical framework based on theories of nationalism, power and identity will set the stage for this paper, after which a historical narrative of soccer focused on its colonial legacy will be constructed and analyzed. These two elements will provide a picture of a sport used to create myths of national superiority and to stir up tensions. Then, by studying cases of discrimination towards fans and players from “other” communities in Europe, the paper will place the modern game within the historical and theoretical narrative. Emerging from this is a sense of a society still repeating these racist and colonial narratives, through the import of foreign players under suffocating contracts, and the establishment of normative identities.

Left to consider are the questions of how so many international organizations can hold soccer up as panacea for social and economic problems and if the paradox of a sport that unites as it divides leaves the possibility of soccer as a performance of resistance?"