Games, Sports and Cultures

By: Noel Dyck (Editor)

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Paperback | 1 September 2010 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

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224 Pages

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23.5 x 15.88 x 1.91

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An inclination to view games and sport as ephemeral, non-serious, and inconsequential has served to discourage the distinctive contribution that anthropology might make to the study of sport, as well as the rich insights that a fuller appreciation of sport might furnish to anthropology. This book brings a distinctively anthropological approach to the deep significance of sport and games in everyday life. Contributors examine individual and team sports and sporting practices, from ‘football’ (ie, soccer) to gymnastics, to unusual but nonetheless highly developed indigenous games such as Amerindian archery in South America and kabaddi in India. Sports are shown to provide a particularly revealing window through which to examine such topics as nationalism, transnationalism, ethnicity, class relations, the body, health, identity, gender, schooling and child rearing. Contributors also address contemporary concerns with narrative, practice theory, celebrity, mass media and entertainment, tourism and the consumption of cultural commodities.

This accessible book will be of interest to students and scholars in anthropology, cultural studies, geography, sociology and sport sciences, as well as to anyone seeking an international perspective on the cultural, political, and economic salience of contemporary sport.

Industry Reviews

"A well-organised and readable book that will undoubtedly find a readership among students and teachers in departments of anthropology, sociology and sports studies." --Sociology

"This is an admirable collection. Its theoretical treatises and wide range of applications make it a useful volume. It is something that anyone with an interest in sport should find worth the investment." --Culture, Sport and Society

"Provides new insights into the growing field of anthropology and sport, and the variation in the ethnographies presented is in itself an excellent reason for recommending its reading." --Ethnos

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Sociology & Anthropology Sociology Sociology & Sport & Leisure Sports & Recreation Society & Culture Cultural Studies Anthropology Social & Cultural Anthropology, Ethnography

Notes on Contributors
Introduction	p. 1
Theoretical Frames and Methodological Issues
Games, Bodies, Celebrations and Boundaries: Anthropological Perspectives on Sport	p. 13
Why Should an Anthropologist Study Sports in China?	p. 43
Society, Body and Style: An Archery Contest in an Amerindian Society	p. 65
Sport and the Politics of Identity
Kabaddi, A National Sport of India: The Internationalism of Nationalism and the Foreignness of Indianness	p. 81
Soccer and the Politics of Culture in Western Australia	p. 117
The Meaning of Sport for Families, Children and Youth
Parents, Kids and Coaches: Constructing Sport and Childhood in Canada	p. 137
Reflections on the Social and Cultural Dimensions of Children's Elite Sport in Sweden	p. 163
Culture, Context and Content Analysis: An Exploration of Elite Women Gymnasts in the High School World	p. 183
Sport as Cultural Performance
'America' in Takamiya: Transforming Japanese Rice Paddies into Corn Stalks, Bleachers, and Basepaths	p. 201
Sport, Celebrity and Liminality	p. 221
Index	p. 243
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Games, Sports and Cultures

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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