The Paralympic Movement, Sports, and Disability in Postwar Japan

FAIN: FO-232442-16

Dennis J. Frost
Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI 49006-3295)

Research and writing leading to publication of a book on the Paralympic Movement in Japan and its influence on perceptions of the disabled.

Offering the first comprehensive examination of the history of the Paralympic Movement outside a Euro-American context, this project traces the evolution of discourse and practice related to sports for the disabled in Japan, arguing that such sports have played a critical and overlooked role in shaping Japanese approaches to disability. I frame my analysis around five international sporting events held in Japan for athletes with disabilities. Beginning with Japan's initial encounters with the Paralympic Movement in the 1960s and concluding with Tokyo's current preparations to host the 2020 Paralympic Games, this study demonstrates how such events have affected disability-related policies and perceptions both on and beyond the playing field. By examining the impact of these five events in Japan, my work highlights the historically and culturally contingent nature of disability and explains why sporting events have proven a mixed blessing for individuals with disabilities.

Associated Products

More Than Medals: A History of the Paralympics and Disability Sports in Postwar Japan (Book)
Title: More Than Medals: A History of the Paralympics and Disability Sports in Postwar Japan
Author: Dennis J. Frost
Abstract: How does a small provincial city in southern Japan become the site of a world-famous wheelchair marathon that has been attracting the best international athletes since 1981? In More Than Medals, Dennis J. Frost answers this question and addresses the histories of individuals, institutions, and events—the 1964 Paralympics, the FESPIC Games, the Ōita International Wheelchair Marathon, the Nagano Winter Paralympics, and the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games that played important roles in the development of disability sports in Japan. Sporting events in the postwar era, Frost shows, have repeatedly served as forums for addressing the concerns of individuals with disabilities. More Than Medals provides new insights on the cultural and historical nature of disability and demonstrates how sporting events have challenged some stigmas associated with disability, while reinforcing or generating others. Frost analyzes institutional materials and uses close readings of media, biographical sources, and interviews with Japanese athletes to highlight the profound—though often ambiguous—ways in which sports have shaped how postwar Japan has perceived and addressed disability. His novel approach highlights the importance of the Paralympics and the impact that disability sports have had on Japanese society. Open access edition funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.worldcat.org/title/1143794704
Primary URL Description: Worldcat listing.
Access Model: Print book.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9781501753084
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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