Edinburgh Research Archive logo

Edinburgh Research Archive

University of Edinburgh homecrest
View Item 
  •   ERA Home
  • Moray House School of Education
  • Moray House PhD thesis collection
  • View Item
  •   ERA Home
  • Moray House School of Education
  • Moray House PhD thesis collection
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

A critical analysis of sociology of sport: reflections on a research career

View/Open
HorneJD_2002redux.pdf (44.30Mb)
Date
2002
Author
Horne, John David
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
 
 
This is a thesis by research publications about the sociological study of sport. The core of this thesis is founded upon a critical discussion of the theoretical perspective now known as figurational or process-sociology, derived from the writings of Norbert Elias (1978a; 1978b; 1982; Elias & Dunning, 1986; see Mennell (1989) and Smith (2001) for general overviews ofElias's work). The thesis seeks to establish that:
 
1. sport, and leisure cultures more widely, are best understood as products of contested cultural values and meanings shared by members of dominant and subordinate social groups in particular social formations;
 
2. hence the notion of cultural contestation, in conjunction with a critical methodological orientation derived from elements of "British Cultural Studies", Gramscian Marxism and C.Wright Mills' sociology, is a more useful perspective for understanding these different cultural values and meanings of sport than the more restrictive concepts of figurational/process sociology;
 
3. and this approach offers a better explanation for the spread of sport and leisure cultures to non-western social formations than the more Eurocentric "civilising process"
 
In order to establish this thesis the submission is structured in four parts. In the first part following a brief biographical journey through my career as a researcher and writer, an outline of the sociology of sport is presented that locates the theoretical background to the submitted research papers. In the second part, the contribution of figurational or process - sociology, as a dominant sociological approach to sport in Britain in the 1970s, is critiqued. This critique elaborates on two earlier papers (Home & Jary, 1987 and Jary and Home, 1987, both in Appendix 3) and their impact on debates in the sociology of sport. A subsequent revisiting of the issues (Home & Jary, 1994, in Appendix 2) is also discussed to further elucidate the theoretical and substantive problems identified with the figurational approach. This critique sought to develop the sociology of sport and encourage greater rapprochement with other sociological concerns and perspectives.
 
The review in part three draws out the implications of several published research papers, which advance the criticisms against, and demonstrate the power of, alternative theoretical approaches to sport to that of figurational sociology. Concerns with various theoretical lacunae in figurational sociology, and other issues, are exemplified in the papers submitted. The papers are grouped into three topics: sport and leisure cultures as contested cultural forms (Jary et al, 1991; Home 1995a; Home 1996a); sport and the political economy ofthe mass media (Jary et al, 1991, Home, 1992a, 1996b); and the globalization of sports culture (Home, 1996b, 1998a, and 1998b).
 
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/34674
Collections
  • Moray House PhD thesis collection

Library & University Collections HomeUniversity of Edinburgh Information Services Home
Privacy & Cookies | Takedown Policy | Accessibility | Contact
Privacy & Cookies
Takedown Policy
Accessibility
Contact
feed RSS Feeds

RSS Feed not available for this page

 

 

All of ERACommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsPublication TypeSponsorSupervisorsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsPublication TypeSponsorSupervisors
LoginRegister

Library & University Collections HomeUniversity of Edinburgh Information Services Home
Privacy & Cookies | Takedown Policy | Accessibility | Contact
Privacy & Cookies
Takedown Policy
Accessibility
Contact
feed RSS Feeds

RSS Feed not available for this page