Mangan and masculinity: Leni Riefenstahl, Charlie Chan, Tarzan and the 1936 Berlin Olympics Jeffrey Richards International Sports Studies 40 No. 1 (2018) https://doi.org/10.30819/iss.40-1.05     pp: 43-54     2018-10-10

Mangan and masculinity: Leni Riefenstahl, Charlie Chan, Tarzan and the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Stichworte/keywords: J. A. Mangan, masculinity, fascist body, film, Riefenstahl, 1936 Olympics

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Abstract
J. A. Mangan has made a notable, original and lasting contribution to the history of sport. Central to Mangan’s interests has been the exploration of the construction and projection of masculinity. In his edited text, Shaping the Superman: the Fascist Body as Political Icon he drew on the disciplines of social anthropology, political ideology, mythology and iconography as well as history and aesthetics; which helps to explain the richness and depth of his work. Inter alia he dealt with film and the construction of masculinity. Film is a special interest of mine and in writing this essay I wish to demonstrate how I have drawn upon the insights in his work on Nazi fascism. In doing so I wish to demonstrate how sport can be integrated holistically into the wider field of cultural history which is unquestionably the enduring hallmark of so much of Mangan’s work and one of its enduring strengths.