Publications

Academic books, refereed journal articles, book chapters, and public scholarship — 2003 to present.

Books

Sport, Politics and Society in the Arab World Sport, Politics & Society in the Arab World Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 Sport in Islam and Muslim Communities Sport in Islam & Muslim Communities Routledge, 2015 Sport in the African World Sport in the African World Routledge, 2018
The Olympic Movement & the MENA Region
The Olympic Movement & the MENA Region Routledge, 2018 The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar Routledge, 2024

Books Detail

Single-Authored

  • Mahfoud Amara (2012). Sport, Politics and Society in the Arab World. Palgrave Macmillan. Series: Global Culture and Sport Series. ISBN: 978-0-230-30792-6.

Edited Volumes

  • Mahfoud Amara (regional editor, Middle East), in Charles Parish & John Nauright (eds.) (2012). Sports Around the World. ABC-CLIO. ISBN: 9781598843002.
  • Alberto Testa and Mahfoud Amara (eds.) (2015). Sport in Islam and Muslim Communities. London: Routledge.
  • John Nauright and Mahfoud Amara (eds.) (2018). Sport in the African World. Routledge. ISBN: 9780815380641.
  • Mahfoud Amara (ed.) (2018). The Olympic Movement and the Middle East and North Africa Region. Routledge. Sport in the Global Society – Historical Perspectives.
  • Nikolay Kozhanov, Mahfoud Amara, and Mahjoob Zweiri (eds.) (2024). The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. London: Routledge.

Refereed Journal Articles

  • 2025 Mahfoud Amara and Youcef Bouandel. Living Football, Navigating Politics: Salah Assad's Life Story in Post-Colonial and Post-Conflict Algeria. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2025.2479455
  • 2024 Kamal Hamidou and Mahfoud Amara. Online Sources as Alternative Media for Sporting Events' Consumption in Algeria: Assessing Receivers' Gratifications Using TAM & UGT Approaches. Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, 3(1):1–21. DOI:10.1080/27690148.2024.2304318
  • 2023 Mahfoud Amara. The 19th Mediterranean Games, Oran 2022 and 'the New Algeria'. Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, 1:3, 234–249. DOI:10.1080/27690148.2023.2195388
  • 2022 Football in Algeria from the "Black Decade" to the Hirak. MERIP, Issue 304 (Fall 2022). Read online
  • 2022 Amara, M. and Bouandel, Y. Algeria and the FIFA World Cup: between political legitimization and regional rivalry. Soccer and Society, 23(7), pp. 735–746.
  • 2022 سياسة البحث بوصفها عملية مبنية اجتماعيًا: مقاربة بنائية للرياضة بين التعددية والنسبية. سياسات عربية، العدد 57، يوليو 2022. رابط المقال
  • 2021 Youcef Bouandel & Mahfoud Amara. Moments and memories: football and state narratives in Algeria. Soccer & Society, pp. 1084–1094. DOI:10.1080/14660970.2019.1680505
  • 2017 W. Briki and M. Amara. Perspective of Islamic Self: Rethinking Ibn al-Qayyim's Three-Heart Model from the Scope of Dynamical Social Psychology. Journal of Religion and Health. DOI:10.1007/s10943-017-0414-0
  • 2016 Mahfoud Amara. Sport in the Arab World in Postcolonial Context. Cairo Papers of Social Sciences — Special Issue: Sport and Society in the Middle East.
  • 2015 Nassif, N. and Amara, M. Sport, policy and politics in Lebanon. International Journal of Sport Policy. DOI:10.1080/19406940.2014.914553.
  • 2014 Mahfoud Amara. Sport and Political Leaders in the Arab World. Politique, Culture et Société (Centre d'Histoire de Science Po). Link
  • 2014 Sang-Yeol Bang and Mahfoud Amara. The Study of Discourse on Change in South Korean Football: Between Tradition and Modernity, from Colonial to Post-Colonial. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 31(1), pp. 1–19.
  • 2013 Mahfoud Amara. Sport, Islam, and Muslims in Europe: in between or on the Margin? Religions, 4(4), pp. 644–656. Full text
  • 2013 Garcia, B. and Amara, M. Media perceptions of Arab investment in European football clubs: The case of Málaga and Paris Saint-Germain. Sport & EU Review, 5(1), pp. 5–20.
  • 2012 Mahfoud Amara. Football Sub-Culture and Youth Politics in Algeria. Mediterranean Politics, 17(1), pp. 41–58.
  • 2012 Mahfoud Amara. Women athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics: media accounts. The International Journal of Sport History, 29(4), pp. 638–651.
  • 2011 Mahfoud Amara. Football, the new battlefield of business in Algeria. The Journal of North African Studies. DOI:10.1080/13629387.2010.536376
  • 2010 Amara, M. and Henry, I.P. Sport, Muslim Identities and Cultures in the UK, an Emerging Policy Issue: Case Studies of Leicester and Birmingham. European Sport Management Quarterly (Special Issue), 10(4), pp. 419–44.
  • 2010 Mahfoud Amara and Eleni Theodoraki. Transnational network formation through sports related regional development projects in the Arabian Peninsula. International Journal of Sport Policy, 2:2, 135–158.
  • 2008 Mahfoud Amara. The Muslim World in the Global Sporting Arena. The Brown Journal of World Affairs, 14(2), pp. 67–76.
  • 2007 Mahfoud Amara. When the Arab world was mobilised around the FIFA 2006 World Cup. The Journal of North African Studies, 12(4).
  • 2006 Mahfoud Amara. Sport and Algerian Nationalism in the 'Global' era: within and beyond the nation-state. Francophone and Postcolonial Studies, 4(1), pp. 88–115.
  • 2006 Mahfoud Amara. Soccer, Post-Colonial and Post-conflict Discourses in Algeria: Algérie-France, 6 Octobre 2001. International Review of Modern Sociology, 32(2), pp. 217–239.
  • 2005 Ian Henry, Jin Liang, Kazuo Uchiumi, Mahfoud Amara. The Roles of the State in the Changing Governance of Professional Soccer: Four Case Studies. European Journal of Sport Science, 5(4), pp. 189–206.
  • 2005 Ian Henry; Mahfoud Amara; Mansour Al-Tauqi; Ping Chao Lee. A Typology of Approaches to Comparative Analysis of Sports Policy. Journal of Sport Management, 19(4), pp. 480–496.
  • 2005 Mahfoud Amara. A 'Modernization' Project from Above? Asian Games – Qatar 2006. Sport in Society, 8(3), pp. 495–516.
  • 2004 M. Amara and Henry, I. Between globalisation and local modernity: The diffusion and modernisation of football in Algeria. Soccer and Society, 5(1).
  • 2003 Mahfoud Amara, Mansour Al-Tauqi, Ian Henry. Sport, Arab nationalism and the Pan-Arab Games. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 38(3).

Guest Editorships

  • Mahfoud Amara. The International Journal of the History of Sport, Vol. 34, 2017 – Special Issue: The Olympic Movement and the MENA Region
  • Guest Editor, Sport and Communication in the MENA Region and beyond. Asian Journal of Sport History and Culture, Vol. 3, 2023.
  • Guest Editor, "Sport and Politics". Siyasat Arabia (Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies / Doha Institute), Issue 57, July 2022.

Book Chapters

  • 2025 Sarah Muhanna Al-Naimi and Mahfoud Amara. Model of Sport in the Arab World: A European Approach? In B. García & V. Smokvina (eds.), The European Model of Sport: Myth or Reality? Routledge.
  • 2025 Mahfoud Amara and Youcef Bouandel. China's Comprehensive Engagement with North Africa and Middle East: Economic, Political, and Sports Relations. In J. Sullivan, T. Ross & A. Lewis (eds.), Global China and the Global Game in Africa.
  • 2024 Mahfoud Amara and Gerard Akindes. Sports migration to Gulf Cooperation Council states: the intersection of economic growth and sport development. In Maguire, Liston & Falcous (eds.), Handbook on Sport and Migration. DOI: 10.4337/9781789909418.00020
  • 2024 Amara, M. and Bouandel, Y. Why Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup matters. In Research Handbook on Major Sporting Events. DOI: 10.4337/9781800885653.00048
  • 2023 Amara, M. and Bonnefoy, P. Commentary in Arabic … or in Tigrinya? Football fans and the search for free television broadcasting. In Arab Youths. DOI: 10.7765/9781526127464.00018
  • 2023 Amara, M. and Bouandel, Y. Motor Sport in the Middle East: Regional Rivalries, Business and Politics in the Arabian Gulf. In Sturm, Wagg & Andrews (eds.), The History and Politics of Motor Racing. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI:10.1007/978-3-031-22825-4_27
  • 2023 Mahfoud Amara and Sara Mehanna Al-Naimi. Geopolitics of Sport in the MENA Region. In Chadwick, Winddop & Goldman (eds.), The Geopolitical Economy of Sport. Routledge.
  • 2022 Mahfoud Amara and Youcef Bouandel. Culture and the World Cup: The Case of Qatar. In Chadwick et al. (eds.), The Business of the FIFA World Cup. Routledge.
  • 2021 John McManus and Mahfoud Amara. Sport at Home, Sport in the World: Evaluating Qatar's Sports Strategy from above and below. In Zweiri & Al Qawasmi (eds.). Springer Singapore.
  • 2021 Amara, M. Place and Space of Global Sport in the Gulf Region. In Azzali, Mazzetto & Petruccioli (eds.), Urban Challenges in the Globalizing Middle-East. Springer.
  • 2021 Mahfoud Amara and Kamal Hamidou. Sport Communication and the Politics of Identity in the MENA Region. In Butterworth (ed.), Communication and Sport. De Gruyter. DOI
  • 2021 Mahfoud Amara and Wadih Ishac. Sport and Development in Qatar. In Tinaz & Knott (eds.), Sport and Development in Emerging Nations. Routledge.
  • 2019 Amara, M. Sport in the Arab World. In MacIntosh, Bravo & Li (eds.), International Sport Management. Human Kinetics.
  • 2019 Amara, M. Sports and the Media in the Arab World. In Maguire, Falcous & Liston (eds.), The Business and Culture of Sports. Macmillan Reference USA.
  • 2018 Amara, M. Physical Activity and Practice in the Arab World. In Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity Policy and Practice.
  • 2018 Bouandel, Y. and Amara, M. Sport and Politics in Algeria. In Palgrave International Handbook of Football and Politics, pp. 327–402.
  • 2018 Amara, M. Tennis in the MENA Region. In Osborne & Lake (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Tennis.
  • 2017 Kirstin Walseth and Mahfoud Amara. Leisure and Islam. In Sharp et al. (eds.), Palgrave Handbook of Leisure Theory, pp. 19–34.
  • 2017 Mahfoud Amara. Sport Labor Migrant Communities from the Maghreb in the GCC. In Z. Babar (ed.), Arab Migrant Communities in the GCC. Hurst. DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190608873.003.0010
  • 2016 Mahfoud Amara. Sport and Muslims or Muslims in Sport, Post-9/11. In Nauright & Wiggins (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Sport, Race and Ethnicity.
  • 2016 Mahfoud Amara. Football in West Asia. In Hughson et al. (eds.), Handbook of Football Studies. Routledge, pp. 402–411.
  • 2016 Mahfoud Amara. Sport and Development in the Arab World, between Modernity and Authenticity. In Houlihan & Malcolm (eds.), Sport and Society: Student Introduction, 3rd ed. Sage, pp. 514–532.
  • 2016 Mahfoud Amara. Sport and Politics in the Arab World. In Bairner, Kelly & Lee (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Sport and Politics. pp. 129–136.
  • 2015 Mahfoud Amara. Le Football dans le monde arabe : entre mondialisation et culture locale. In Rey & Zoudji (eds.), Le Football dans Tous Ses États. De Boeck.
  • 2013 Mahfoud Amara and Laurent Bonnefoy. Des commentaires en arabe… ou en tigrinya? In Bonnefoy & Catusse (eds.), Jeunesses arabes. La Découverte.
  • 2013 Amara, M. A post-colonial approach to sport policy: case study of the Maghreb region. In Henry & Ko (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Sport Policy, pp. 314–322.
  • 2013 Amara, M. The Political Economy of Sport Broadcasting in the Arab World. In Scherer & Rowe (eds.), Sport, Public Broadcasting, and Cultural Citizenship. Routledge.
  • 2012 Amara, M. and Henry, I. Deconstructing the Debate around Sport and the 'Question' of 'Muslim Minorities' in the West. In Farrar et al. (eds.), Islam in the West. Palgrave, pp. 138–153.
  • 2011 Amara, M. The Importance of Culture: Sport and Development in the Arab World. In Houlihan & Green (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Sport Development, pp. 114–126.
  • 2011 Amara, M. Olympic Sport and Internationalism Debates in the Arab-Muslim World. In Preuss et al. (eds.), Internationalism in the Olympic Movement. VS Verlag, pp. 37–52.
  • 2010 Amara, M. The Middle East and North Africa. In Pope & Nauright (eds.), Routledge Companion to Sport History, pp. 498–509.
  • 2010 Amara, M. An introduction to the study of sport in the Muslim world. In Houlihan (ed.), Sport and Society: A Student Introduction, 2nd ed. Sage, pp. 532–553.
  • 2009 Amara, M. and Henry, I.P. Vers une professionnalisation du football en Algérie. In Dugas et al. (eds.), Algérie : Vers le cinquantenaire de l'Indépendance. L'Harmattan, pp. 243–262.
  • 2007 Amara, M. Discourses on Modern Sport and Values in a Non-western Context: Algeria. In Henry (ed.), Transnational and Comparative Research in Sport. Routledge.
  • 2007 Amara, M. 2006 Qatar Asian Games: A 'Modernization' Project from Above? In Hong (ed.), Sport, Nationalism and Orientalism: the Asian Games. Routledge, pp. 89–110.
  • 2005 Amara, M. Global sport and local identity in Algeria: The changing roles of Football. In Saad & Majumdar (eds.), Restructuring the Algerian Economy. Intellect Books, pp. 145–158.

Public Scholarship & Non-Refereed Publications

  • 2022 Mahfoud Amara. Why football matters in Algeria. Redpepper Magazine. Read online
  • 2022 Mahfoud Amara. MENA Sport. Menelique Magazine, Editoriale #7: SPORT. Read online
  • 2022 Mahfoud Amara and Youcef Bouandel. The 2022 FIFA World Cup, between Soccer and Faith. Bulletin de l'Observatoire international du religieux N°40. English version / Version française
  • 2021 Mahfoud Amara. Football and politics: when Algeria won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. The Conversation, August 4, 2021. Read online
  • 2021 Mahfoud Amara. What lessons we can take from the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. Gulf Insights No. 53 — December 2021. Download PDF
  • 2018 Mahfoud Amara. The World Cup is a Chance to talk about African Identities and Unity. The Conversation, June 18, 2018. Read online
  • 2015 Mahfoud Amara and Mouloud Houaoura. Fan violence and Social Change in Algeria. ICSS, July–August, Vol. 3, pp. 30–38.
  • 2014 Gharib Abdelrahim and Mahfoud Amara. Ultras in Morocco. ICSS International Centre of Sport Security, July–August, Vol. 2, pp. 40–45.
  • 2014 Mahfoud Amara. Social impacts of sport in the Arab world. Afkar/Idée (European Institute of the Mediterranean). iemed.org
  • 2013 Mahfoud Amara. The Politicisation of Sport in the Arab World. ICSS International Centre of Sport Security, 1(1), pp. 29–31.
  • 2008 Mahfoud Amara. Royaume-Uni : Le défi des refugiés. Apels Magazine (Les Cahiers de l'éducation par le sport), L'Europe des Diversités.

Invited Book Reviews

  • 2022 Review of Carl Rommel, Egypt's Football Revolution: Emotion, Masculinity, and Uneasy Politics. University of Texas Press, 2021. idrottsforum.org
  • 2014 Review of Said Zerzouri, Le Sport au Maroc. European Studies in Sports History, Vol. 6, pp. 147–149.
  • 2012 Review of Moncef Alyazghi & Youcef Fates. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 29(15), pp. 2200–2203.
  • 2012 Review of International Sport Management. Managing Leisure, 17(4).
  • 2008 Review of Tamir Sorek, Arab soccer in a Jewish state: The integrative enclave. British Journal of Sociology, 59(1), pp. 173–174.
  • 2006 Review of Levermore & Budd (eds.), Sport and International Relations. Sport in Society, 9(3), pp. 480–501.