| Summary: | Global ecumene of pop nationalism
The aim of the article is to examine the contemporary phenomenon of pop nationalism, understood as a special form of ethno-nationalist emotions and attitudes which are clearly visible in the realm of sports competition. The author points to paradoxes hiding behind the globalization, professionalization and market orientation of this domain. The so-called hegemonic disciplines of sports (such as football, hockey, basket ball) are now – despite the cosmopolitan orientation of sports competition – the main source of national identification, seen as unique “wars of nations in a time of peace.” The more global sport is made, the more national identity is emphasized as an indispensable component of the logic of such a competition. In the essay, the author aims to reconstruct ways of creating a similar global ecumene of pop nationalism, as well as to analyze various specific situations and symbolic forms in which people create their own national identities, for example those that accompanied the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship (commonly referred to as Euro 2012), hosted for the first time by Poland and Ukraine.
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