Synopses & Reviews
Why sports? What is their function in society, how are they organized, and why do people participate? This groundbreaking volume is filled with descriptive data relating to these questions and many others, and it does what none has done previously, by bringing together an edited collection of essays that describe and compare sport in twelve Asian and African nations from a social science perspective. Written by an international team of anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, and physical educators, these chapters are not accounts by scholars viewing sport from afar; each writer is either a native of the country or has spent extensive time there teaching and/or conducting research. For ease of comparison, each chapter adheres to a common format, beginning with an historical overview of the development of sport in that country that focuses on indigenous traditional sports, the development of modern sports, and the place of contemporary sports. A description of the way sports are organized follows and includes discussions of the role of schools and government involvement. Next, where data were available, the authors evaluated levels of sports participation, including such variables as age, gender, social class, and urban or rural residence. An account is also presented of the nature of participation and success of the country in international sports competitions. Each chapter closes with an insightful appraisal of the future of sport in that country.
Seven figures and more than 25 tables facilitate comparisons, as does the editor's introductory essay that provides an overview of the following chapters. In the second introductory essay, Ruud Stokvis examines the process of international diffusion of sport, arguing that changes in sport participation patterns in countries over time reflect changes both in the world system and in the class structure of modernizing societies. Sport in Asia and Africa makes its substantial contribution to social science literature by enhancing cross-cultural understanding of sport as a vital social institution, and its voluminous descriptive data will surely be a catalyst in the evolution of further theories about the interrelationship of sport and society. A source of up-to-date sociological data, Wagner's superb reference will be an important resource for libraries, international studies programs, programs dealing with Asia and Africa, and physical education and sociology courses that examine sport in a comparative perspective.
Synopsis
This book presents parallel chapters on a number of Asian and African countries. The chapters include a historical overview of the development of sport, examining indigenous traditional sports, the development of modern sports, and the contemporary place of sports in the country. This is followed by a description of the way sports are organized, including the involvement of the government and the role of schools. Where available, data are presented on levels of participation in various sports by age, gender, social class, and urban or rural residence.
Synopsis
This book presents a historical overview of the development of sport in Asia and Africa, examining indigenous traditional sports, the development of modern sports, and the contemporary place of sports in each country.
About the Author
ERIC A. WAGNER was Professor of Sociology and Chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Ohio University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
An Overview of Sport in Asia and Africa
The International and National Expansion of Sports
Sport in Asia
Sport in Yemen Arab Republic
Sport in Japan
Sport in South Korea: Ssirum, the YMCA, and the Olympic Games
Sport in the People's Republic of China
Sport in Thailand
Physical Education and Sport in the Philippines
Sport in Malaysia
Sport in Africa
Sport in Egypt: Cultural Reflection and Contradiction of a Society
Sport in Botswana
Sport in Zaire
Sport in Nigeria
Sport in Kenya
Index