Anthropology, Sport, and Culture

by Robert R. Sands

Overview

Sports permeates the fabric of our society on all levels and it also is a universal phenomenon expressed in all cultures of the world. It has become the international medium of cultural exchange in the contemporary world. Witness the galvanizing popularity of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, the World Track and Field Championships in Athens, Greece, and the 1998 Winter Olympics from Nagano, Japan.

Americans, indeed people throughout the world, are often consumed by sport. It is no wonder that some refer to sport as the New American Religion. Social scientists can no longer afford to ignore sport as a subject of serious research and discussion. It is shaping cultures, driving economies, and molding politics. Its impact is global, facilitating communication among nations while underscording national, regional, and ethnic identities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897895996
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/1999
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	1390L (what's this?)

About the Author

ROBERT R. SANDS is Professor, Department of Human Behavior, Community College of Southern Nevada.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Kendall Blanchard
Preface
Theory and Method in Anthropology of Sport
Anthropology and Sport by Robert R. Sands
Experiential Ethnography: Playing with the Boys by Robert R. Sands
Understanding Cultural Performance: Trobriand Cricket by Sally Ann Ness
Sport, Culture, Race, and Running
African Speed, African Endurance by Amby Burfoot
The Fastest White Man in the World by John Hoberman
Kenyan Runners in a Global System by John Bale
Sport and Culture Change
The Globalist of Them All: The "Everywhere Man" Michael Jordan and American Popular Culture in Post-Colonial New Zealand by Steven Jackson and David Andrews
Nelson Mandella, the Number 6 Jersey, and the 1995 Rugby World Cup: Sport as a Transcendent Unifying Force, or a Transparent Illustration of Bicultural Oppurtunism by Scott Crawford
Baseball, Cricket, and Social Change: Jackie Robinson and Frank Worrell by Michael Malec and Hillary McD. Beckles
Sport and Cultural Identity
Documenting America: Ethnograpies of Inner-City Basketball and Logics of Capitalism by Cheryl L. Cole and Samantha King
Hijacking the Hyphenated Signifier: Donovan Bailey and the Politics of Racial and National Identity in Canada by Steven Jackson and Klaus Meier
Culture, Sport, and Ritual
Baseball Magic by George Gmelch
Into the Endzone for a Touchdown: A Psychoanalytical Consideration of American Football by Alan Dundes
Index

Editorial Reviews

Social scientists, humanists, and athletes explore universal characteristics of sport, treat sport as a cultural given, and employ various anthropological perspectives on sport and human nature. As a whole, the collection illustrates the nature and importance of studying sport as a universal phenomenon that both shapes and is shaped by its cultural context. Articles are grouped in sections on theory and method in anthropology of sport; sport, culture, race, and running; sport and culture change; sport and cultural identity; and culture, sport, and ritual. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)

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