Abstract

Under the rule of the Cheikhs, before Tunisia became a French colony, such traditional sports as El Koura and El' Efga took place at the village community level, but after the introduction of modern sports in accordance with French colonial policy, their existence was threatened. On the other hand, modern sports, particularly football, spread rapidly as the only opportunity for the colonized Tunisians to oppose the western European nations, especially France. As a result of the introduction of modern sports, national organizations were born, crossing regional boundaries; this contributed to a consciousness of being "Tunisian," that is, to the formation of national identity. It can even be thought that it influenced the later independence movement. After independence from France, the regime of President Habib Bourguiba introduced policies of modernization and centralization, as well as a modern educational system, in the process of forming a national state, and traditional sports, which included many magical elements, were thrown out as being pre-modern and backward, along with religious cultures peculiar to Tunisia, such as worship of the saints and Sufism. Modern sports, however, came to be positioned as having the function of forming national identity in the international sphere: that is, forming a national identity in awareness of the nation as a part of the international community. However, in 1987, under the new regime of President Ben Ali, a new policy of creating national identity was created, rooted in a unique traditional culture modeled on a pre-Islamic culture. Verf.-Referat