ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter outlines the approach and conceptualisation of the social analysis of sport in the diverse framework arising from the collapse of the Soviet Union and socialist states in Europe. In this vein, among other considerations, this section outlines the significance of a collective sporting analysis pertaining to an amalgam and even opposing social and political constructions. This section offers a basic framework for the book as a substantial contribution to the scholarly discussion pertaining to the understanding of the contemporary social phenomena. More specifically, this first chapter provides a common methodological denominator of the book which includes a critical and historical standpoint on sport sociology, nationalism studies, governance and power relations. The project centres on individual post-Soviet and post-socialist states as case studies, offering a critical and holistic analysis of the major contemporary shifts occurring in Europe, notably in the context of sport.
