Ethnology and Cultural analysis

The overall goal of the Handbook is to enable new as well as experienced scholars to grasp the scope and importance of theory and research on sport and society. Four parts:
1.Major perspectives in the sociology of sport
2.Cross-disciplinary differences and connections
3.Key topics
4.Sport and society research around the globe.

Wide-ranging coverage includes the social, political, economical, and cultural theory of sport, as well as entries relating to exercise, preparation, and performance psychology, and key scientific terms, including nutrition and anatomy. It also features biographies of key sportspeople, information on international organizations and institutions, and detailed appendices with lists of sporting events and winners, including the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. In addition, there are recommended web links for many entries.

Sport is part of our social and cultural fabric, possessing a social and commercial power that makes it a potent force in the world, for good and for bad. Sport has helped to start wars and promote international reconciliation, while every government around the world commits public resources to sport because of its perceived benefits. From the bleachers to the boardroom, sport matters. Now available in a fully revised and updated new edition, this exciting, comprehensive and accessible textbook introduces the study of sport, culture and society. International in scope, the book explores the key social theories that shape our understanding of sport as a social phenomenon and critically examines many of the assumptions that underpin that understanding.

Rather than regarding the historical development of sport as the outcome of passive spectator reception, this work is interested in how sporting cultures have been made and developed over time through the active engagement of its enthusiasts.

As the first book to provide a history of the sociology of sport and to clearly locate the contemporary discipline in the wider currents of sociological discourse, this is important reading for all students and scholars interested in the relationship between sport and society, whether they are working in sport studies or in the sociological mainstream.