Book chapter
OA Policy
English

Honors and Dishonors: Table Tennis Champions Representing Ghana Abroad

ContributorsNicolas, Claireorcid
Published inSylvia Dummer Scheel, Charlotte Faucher, and Camila Gatica Mizala (Ed.), Soft Power Beyond the Nation, p. 160-177
PublisherWashington : Georgetown University Press
Publication date2025-11-01
First online date2024-11-25
Abstract

This chapter argues that table tennis players, even from a marginal position—far from the state apparatus and the diplomatic sphere—played their part in Ghana’s diplomacy by partaking in a minor sport, as they displayed new definitions of citizenship and nationhood at domestic and international levels. They were involved in the government’s aim to “exert power in the international arena through attraction and persuasion, rather than force,” seeking to exercise soft power. Furthermore, socialist solidarity was a key feature of table tennis diplomacy (in contrast with postimperial events such as the Commonwealth Games, the men’s soccer World Cup, and the Olympic Games), which opens up new perspectives when examining Ghana’s multifaceted soft power as the country turned its eyes away from Europe. This chapter thus assesses how Ghana’s changing diplomatic relationships framed athletes as cultural emissaries, mediators between Ghana’s government and its target audiences abroad. Unpacking sports diplomacy from below, this research discusses the role played by table tennis players themselves in their positions as informal ambassadors who were carefully—albeit only partially—monitored by politicians, journalists, and sports administrators.

Keywords
  • Ghana
  • Ping pong
  • Sport
  • Kwame Nkrumah
Citation (ISO format)
NICOLAS, Claire. Honors and Dishonors: Table Tennis Champions Representing Ghana Abroad. In: Soft Power Beyond the Nation. Sylvia Dummer Scheel, Charlotte Faucher, and Camila Gatica Mizala (Ed.). Washington : Georgetown University Press, 2025. p. 160–177.
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Book chapter (Published version)
Identifiers
  • PID : unige:181892
ISBN9781647124984
92views
696downloads

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