Call for Papers: Sports / Dance / Movement as Social Practice in the Context of Nationalism, Discrimination, and Social Activism

Sports / Dance / Movement as Social Practice in the Context of Nationalism, Discrimination, and Social Activism

Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics (IEEJSP) invites submissions for a special issue exploring the intersection of sports, dance and movement as social practice, and their complex relationships with nationalism, racism, discrimination, and social activism.

Sports, dance and movement are powerful cultural practices that shape collective identities, social boundaries, and political expressions. In Eastern Europe — with its diverse histories, ethnic compositions, and political transformations — these embodied practices often serve as sites where national pride, exclusionary ideologies, or oppositional activism emerge and are contested. An analysis of the corporeal, nonverbal aspects of these realities may enhance our knowledge of how nationalist ideologies and social conflicts may be enacted in the specific contexts of dance and sports.

We seek scholarly articles that critically analyze how sports and dance practices:

• Reflect and construct nationalist narratives and ethnic identities.
• Perpetuate or challenge racism and discrimination within and beyond their local contexts.
• Function as platforms for social activism, promoting inclusion, equity, and resistance.
• Interact with historical legacies of authoritarianism, conflict, and migration in Eastern Europe.

Interdisciplinary approaches drawing on sociology, anthropology, political science, cultural studies, movement analysis and related fields are welcomed. Comparative studies across countries or communities, ethnographic fieldwork, historical analyses, and theoretical reflections are particularly encouraged. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are accepted.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Sports fandom and nationalist symbolism
• Folk dance and ethnic identity negotiation.
• Sports and dance as tools for anti-discrimination activism.
• Gender, race, and exclusion in participatory physical culture.
• The role of sporting and dance events in post-socialist nation-building.
• Migrants, minorities, diasporas and the politics of inclusion/exclusion in the sphere of sports and dance.

Submission guidelines follow the journal’s standard requirements. Manuscripts should be original, unpublished, and between 6,000 and 8,000 words. Please submit abstracts of 300-500 words by February 1, 2026, with full papers due by May 15, 2026.

Abtract submissions and inquiries should be sent to the editors: kovacs.nora@tk.hu and agich.arin@tk.hu

For Author Guidelines during the full paper submissions please consult:

https://intersections.tk.mta.hu/index.php/intersections/view/forAuthors/#author_guidelines

New users should register at https://intersections.tk.hu/index.php/intersections/user/register

Join us in examining how sports and participatory dance practices serve as contested cultural fields influencing nationalism, racism, and activism in Eastern Europe’s complex social landscapes.