Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Preface - Notes on the Contributors - Introduction: Sociological Approaches to the Study of Sport and Leisure - The Field of Play in Sport and Leisure Studies; C.Rojek - Drugs, Sport and Ideologies; I.Waddington - Cleaning up the Game: Perspectives on the Evolution of Professional Sports; J.Wilson - Towards a Sociological Theory of Sport and the Emotions: A Process-Sociological Perspective; J.Maguire - Sports and Civilization: Is Violence the Central Problems?; R.Stokvis - Chariot Races, Tournaments and the Civilizing Process; A.Guttmann - Sex, Gender and the Body in Sport and Leisure: Has there been a Civilizing Process?; J.Hargreaves - Sport, Power and Dependency in Southern Africa; G.Jarvie - Figuring a Better Future; A.Clarke - Figurational Sociology and the Sociology of Sport: Some Concluding Remarks; E.Dunning - Index
Synopsis
How do figurational sociologists approach the subjects of sport and leisure? How does their approach differ from other approaches in the field? This major collection, edited by leading writers on sport and leisure, offers a superb introduction to the figurational sociology of sport and leisure. The distinctive features of the approach are clearly explained and contributors show how figurational sociology is applied in the analysis of concrete problems. However, the collection also gives space to critics of the figurational approach. Included here are contributions which claim that the approach is inaccurate, blinkered and irrelevant.