Over the last two decades, or more, there has been a considerable interest in the sociological analysis of sport. While a number of Canadian, American and English sociologists and cultural critics have attempted to locate the development of various indigenous sporting forms within an analysis of their own culture, very few sociological accounts of Scottish sporting forms exist. This study deals with the development of the Scottish Highland Games. This study contends that, while an explanation of the complex ways in which this sporting form has developed provides a worthwhile area of sociological investigation, it is also capable of raising questions about Highland and Scottish dependency, development and cultural identity. An initial synthesis of some of the strengths and weaknesses within the sociological writings on sport provides the basis for developing an analysis of the Scottish Highland Games. This draws upon the concepts of dependency, culture and figurational development as providing axial principles for explaining the complex ways in which this Highland tradition has developed.

Sport is one institution in U.S. society that, through embedded patterns of behavior, may contribute to an ideology of acceptance concerning gender inequality. Organized sport participation, which has been historically reserved for men, incorporates young men and boys into an institution that has its own norms and socialization processes. Research was conducted on college students currently enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A survey was administered to these college students during regularly scheduled class time. The survey was in part adapted from The Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS) as well as the Brannon Masculinity Scale (BMS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regression to see if there was a relationship between the control variables, the sports participation variables, the scores on the BMS which measures the acceptance of traditional masculinity, and attitudes toward women. The results showed that gender and academic class are significantly related to the scores on the AWS. The results also showed that there were not any statistically significant relationships between the sports participation variables and the scores on the AWS. The regression analyses were consistent with these findings. / Master of Science

Traditionalist Chinese martial arts (TCMAs) are popular in Britain, and some advocates have made extensive claims of their body-self transformation through sustained training. Despite extensive physiological research, there are few investigations of these practices regarding their socio-cultural practice. This qualitative sociological study examines long-term British practitioners’ experiences of transformation via Taijiquan (Tai Chi) and Wing Chun by addressing five issues: 1) Rationales behind practice 2) Resulting transformations 3) Explicit/implicit pedagogic strategies 4) Cultural transmission 5) Relations to broader social life. It approaches these questions through an emergent research design incorporating autobiographical vignettes as a practitioner-teacher-researcher, life histories of experienced practitioners and ethnographic fieldwork of two case study schools. Following thematic, metaphorical and narrative analysis, a structurationist theoretical framework illuminates the data by incorporating sensitising concepts from diverse thinkers including Bourdieu, Frank, Giddens and Yuasa. The findings are represented through autobiographical, modified realist, impressionist and confessional writing and structure the thesis as follows: Firstly, my own story demonstrates shifts in transformation from a technique-orientated approach to a more spiritual/holistic perspective, finally emerging as a scholarly position of a thinker-martial artist. Secondly, practitioner case studies further articulate transformations along a flexible continuum of changing body-self-society relations interpreted here as three ideal types: Fighters, martial artists and thinkers. Thirdly, the connecting pedagogical issues are addressed, as well-rounded TCMA systems possess specific partner exercises to develop intercorporeal awareness and embodied sensitivity, which are explicit aspects of each association’s martial habitus and body lineage. Meanwhile, socio-linguistic metaphors articulate these transformations and are also interpreted as transformations in thinking and schemes of perception. Overall, these sensitising concepts and empirical findings offer a social theory of shared cultivation that acknowledges transformation on individual, relational, institutional and art levels. This shared cultivation framework may be useful for future methodological, theoretical and empirical considerations of wider physical culture. Key words: Autobiography, Body-self transformation, Chinese martial arts, cultural transmission, ethnography, life histories, qualitative research, sociology, shared cultivation

This thesis examines the gender-subversive potential of mixed-sex martial arts. The research problem takes its significance from the well-documented linkages drawn within feminist research between combat sports and hierarchal gender differentiation. It is posited that from a feminist perspective, gender-subversive physical practices are desirable because they instigate a shift towards fairer and freer bodily discourse, and as such they are deserving of critical academic attention. Furthermore, sex-integrated sports have the potential to lead participants towards embodying and propagating such subversive gender discourses, and when these changes take place within highly masculinised activities such as combat sports, the significance of this subversion is amplified. While existing literature has addressed these themes with reference to women s participation in these kinds of activities, there is a relative paucity of sociological work explicitly examining mixed-sex participation, which this thesis is intended to redress. Using semi-structured interviewing, qualitative data were gathered from a group of male and female martial artists across the English East Midlands. The interviews were transcribed and then subjected to discourse analysis. Findings suggested that mixed-sex martial arts does involve gender subversion but that the practice also remains structured by dominant, hierarchal gender discourse in several significant ways. It is therefore suggested that mixed-sex training can present the possibility of gender subversion under particular conditions, such as: martial arts being accessible to both men and women at multiple levels of participation; a normalised presence of women, particularly at higher levels such as being coaches and competitors; participants coming to share an identity as martial artists which is irrespective of sexual difference; and ultimately training being integrated as much as possible, particularly with regard to the more intensely physical, combative aspects, such as sparring. The participants indicated that under these conditions they were able to conceive of and practice their gender differently, in ways which portrayed little or no hierarchal distinction between the sexes, and as such is considered subversive . Following these findings, the thesis ultimately concludes with a brief outline of some recommendations for good practice in martial arts clubs. In this way, the thesis contributes towards feminist understandings of the body and of physical culture, by highlighting one possible way in which to conceive of the sexed body differently from the prevailing norms of hierarchal sexual differentiation.

A dissertação cria um panorama amplo da prática do rugby no Brasil abordando aspectos sociológicos e históricos da modalidade em território nacional com o objetivo de compreender a sua prática, características e dinâmicas na atualidade. A partir do referencial teórico de Bourdieu e Mauss, entre outros, o trabalho constrói uma história do rugby no Brasil, utilizando como base documentos e entrevistas. A dissertação procura demonstrar que o rugby, inicialmente praticado quase que só por jogadores estrangeiros, termina por ser apropriado pelos brasileiros criando uma identidade própria e servindo de ponte para a inclusão de estrangeiros que praticavam o rugby em seus países de origem / The dissertation creates a broad overview of the rugby practice in Brazil addressing sociological and historical aspects of the sport in the country in order to understand their practice, characteristics and dynamics today. From the theoretical framework of Bourdieu and Mauss, among others, the work builds a history of rugby in Brazil, using as base documents and interviews. The dissertation tries to demonstrate that rugby, initially practiced almost exclusively by foreign players, ends up being appropriated by Brazilian creating its own identity and serving as a bridge for the inclusion of foreigners who practiced rugby in their countries of origin

The primary purpose of this ethnographic study is to contextualize Mexican American surfers experiences with sport as a lens into race, gender and class relations. Specifically, it seeks to understand how a history of gender, race, and class oppression has played out in this understudied terrain of sports. This study offers empirical insight into the ways in which Mexican Americans navigate and (un)successfully infiltrate predominantly white, male, middle-class sporting arenas. In this study I also examine the relationship between access and barriers, specifically how access to public recreational spaces are constricted by participants’ real and imagined barriers. By exploring Mexican American surfers’ everyday experiences, I unearthed the varying ways Mexican American surfers experienced discrimination and marginalization across intersecting and interlocking identities.

A dissertação cria um panorama amplo da prática do rugby no Brasil abordando aspectos sociológicos e históricos da modalidade em território nacional com o objetivo de compreender a sua prática, características e dinâmicas na atualidade. A partir do referencial teórico de Bourdieu e Mauss, entre outros, o trabalho constrói uma história do rugby no Brasil, utilizando como base documentos e entrevistas. A dissertação procura demonstrar que o rugby, inicialmente praticado quase que só por jogadores estrangeiros, termina por ser apropriado pelos brasileiros criando uma identidade própria e servindo de ponte para a inclusão de estrangeiros que praticavam o rugby em seus países de origem / The dissertation creates a broad overview of the rugby practice in Brazil addressing sociological and historical aspects of the sport in the country in order to understand their practice, characteristics and dynamics today. From the theoretical framework of Bourdieu and Mauss, among others, the work builds a history of rugby in Brazil, using as base documents and interviews. The dissertation tries to demonstrate that rugby, initially practiced almost exclusively by foreign players, ends up being appropriated by Brazilian creating its own identity and serving as a bridge for the inclusion of foreigners who practiced rugby in their countries of origin

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Considero o esporte moderno, particularmente o futebol, como um dos fenÃmenos sociais com maior potencialidade para se analisar muitas das caracterÃsticas dos tempos hodiernos, como, por exemplo, a efemeridade da vida moderna, a fragilidade e, ao mesmo tempo, a forÃa dos laÃos humanos â das relaÃÃes e dos vÃnculos trabalhistas, as lealdades a grupos e a instituiÃÃes, a (re)construÃÃo das representaÃÃes sobre naÃÃo (identidade nacional), os novos processos de disciplinarizaÃÃo, dentre outros. Desse contexto, esta pesquisa focou o âprotagonista do espetÃculoâ â o jogador de futebol, especialmente, o momento em que este realiza a passagem para a pÃs-carreira, o âsegundo tempo da vidaâ. Que estratÃgias e instrumentos esses indivÃduos acionaram, e ainda acionam, nessa transiÃÃo? Por que à tÃo difÃcil parar de jogar futebol profissionalmente? Para responder a essas e outras questÃes em torno desse fenÃmeno social, trabalho com referÃncias bourdiesianas como as categorias âcampoâ e âcapitalâ para pensar o processo de âconversÃoâ e âreconversÃoâ dos diversos capitais acumulados ao longo das trajetÃrias e dos reposicionamentos na passagem da condiÃÃo de jogador para a de ex-jogador. Levanto a hipÃtese de que a carreira de jogador de futebol se constitui como uma âcondiÃÃo liminarâ para explicar as dificuldades envolvidas nessa passagem. Compreendo ainda, ser a carreira de jogador marcada por uma sÃrie de ambiguidades como a posiÃÃo do jogador de futebol no processo civilizador (ELIAS, 1993). O recorte foi o estado do CearÃ, de forma que a pesquisa procurou responder a questÃo sobre se existe um mercado de trabalho e uma rede de assistÃncia ao ex-jogador de futebol no estado na tentativa de compreender essa realidade local, neste sentido, a trajetÃria profissional de quatro ex-jogadores que jogaram e ainda residem no estado do Cearà foi o principal aparato empÃrico desta pesquisa. / I consider the modern sport, soccer particularly, as a social phenomenon with the greatest potential to examine many characteristics of modern times. Through soccer is possible to see the transience of modern life, frailty and at the same time, the strength of ties human â I mean relationships and linkages labor loyalties to groups and institutions, the (re) construction of representations of the nation (national identity), new processes of discipline, among others. From this context, that research focused on the "protagonist of the show" - the football player, especially when he makes the transition to the post-career, as I call here: the "second half of life". What kind of strategies and instruments the football players did use and what they still do on this transition? Why is it so hard to quit playing soccer professionally? To answer these and other questions surrounding this social phenomenon, I analyze from Pierre Bourdieuâs theory by making use of the concepts of "field" and "capital". I want to think about the process of "conversion" and "reconversion" of the many accumulated capitals along the trajectories and along the repositioning of field that took place in the passage of the condition of the player to former player. I raise the hypothesis that the football playerâs career is formed as a "liminal condition" to explain the difficulties involved in this passage. I yet understand that the football playerâs career is marked by a series of ambiguities as the position of the football player in the civilizing process (Elias, 1993). The research field was the state of CearÃ. That research sought to answer the question of whether there is a labor market and a network of assistance to former football player in the state. The aim is understand the local reality, taking the trajectory of four former football players who played and still live in the state of Cearà as the main apparatus of this empirical research.

Orientador: Gustavo Luis Gutierrez / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação Fisica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T03:47:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marques_RenatoFranciscoRodrigues_D.pdf: 2101555 bytes, checksum: c7cc63506bee5c90178361db2cf8823d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O presente trabalho teve por objetivo geral investigar e delimitar, com base em análise sociológica proposta na obra de Pierre Bourdieu, questões ligadas às formas de interação social presentes no sub-campo do esporte paraolímpico brasileiro. Os objetivos específicos apontam para três esferas presentes neste espaço: processos de formação, recrutamento e atuação de classificadores paraolímpicos, responsáveis pela alocação dos atletas em classes de disputa; a ocorrência do profissionalismo de atletas e formas de distribuição de recompensas financeiras e simbólicas; a presença e formas de atuação de pessoas com deficiência na gerência e administração de entidades organizativas do esporte paraolímpico brasileiro (federações, associações, comitês, entre outros). A metodologia de pesquisa deu-se com base em três momentos. O primeiro em análise de referencial teórico da obra de Pierre Bourdieu, ligado à sociologia do esporte, e posterior conformação e descrição de elementos constituintes do subcampo do esporte paraolímpico. O segundo em coleta de dados através de entrevistas pessoais e semi-estruturadas, com sujeitos atuantes em funções técnicas e/ou administrativas específicas do Comitê Paraolímpico Brasileiro (CPB), ligados, cada um deles, a uma das esferas de análise, na busca de informações ainda não documentadas a respeito destas vertentes. A terceira, na discussão dos dados com base na identificação e conformação do sub-campo em análise, associando as informações obtidas às categorias sugeridas por Bourdieu para a interpretação de interações entre sujeitos num determinado espaço social. A análise de dados foi baseada na divisão das informações coletadas em três grupos, ligados às esferas já descritas. Tem-se como resultado ligado à esfera de classificação: Tendência de profissionalização e busca por protocolos científicos mais abrangentes; Busca por melhor formação e especialização do classificador, a partir de democratização relativa do conhecimento específico; É um espaço de disputas, tanto pelo acesso ao conhecimento específico, quanto à legitimidade de classificação. Quanto à profissionalização: Financiamento principal de órgãos públicos; Relacionamento de aproximação com a mídia; Grande profissionalização de atletas, mas pequena de técnicos, classificadores e administradores; Quanto maior o capital simbólico (mérito esportivo), maior o capital econômico acumulado - modalidades individuais; Busca por reconhecimento do esporte paraolímpico como produto. E quanto à administração: Disputa política entre duas classes; Uso do esporte como forma de posicionamento político-social de pessoas com deficiência; Questão do capital cultural institucionalizado é um problema. Como resultado geral, tem-se que o esporte paraolímpico brasileiro é um espaço de disputas pelo controle das práticas esportivas, políticas e comerciais, próprias do esporte contemporâneo do século XXI. Mas que ainda está em processo de conformação e afirmação de posição na sociedade. E que depende tanto de ações internas, quanto externas a seus limites sociais, visto sua autonomia relativa frente à sociedade esportiva e brasileira em geral, e suas conformações e características sociais / Abstract: The present study aimed at investigating and defining the basis of sociological analysis proposed in the work of Pierre Bourdieu, issues related to forms of social interaction present in the sub-field of the Brazilian Paralympic sport. The specific objectives point to three spheres in this space: the process of training, recruitment and performance of classifiers paralympic athletes responsible for the allocation of classes in dispute, the occurrence of professional athletes and ways of distributing financial and symbolic rewards, and the presence and ways of working people with disabilities in management and administration of organizational entities of the Brazilian Paralympic sport (federations, associations, committees, among others). The research methodology was given based on three different occasions. The first analysis on the theoretical work of Pierre Bourdieu on the sociology of sport, and conformation and subsequent description of the elements of the sub-field of Paralympic sport. The second in data collection through personal interviews and semi-structured interviews with individuals working in technical functions and / or specific administrative Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPC), linked each to one of the areas of analysis, seeking not yet documented information about these aspects. The third, in the discussion of the data based on identification and conformation of the sub-field analysis, gathering the information obtained to the categories suggested by Bourdieu for the interpretation of interactions among individuals in a particular social space. Data analysis was based on the division of information collected in three groups linked to the spheres described above. Were highlighted data that point to the conformation of the objectified social space, based on information aggregated, denied or reinforced components previously presented in theoretical analysis of the Brazilian Paralympic sport. Thus contributing to the definition and understanding of the forms of social action of agents in this space. It has been as a result, the Brazilian Paralympic sport is an area of disputes over control of sports, political and business typical of the contemporary sports of the XXI century. But that is still in the process of conformation and position statement on society. And that depends, as already explained by the theory of Pierre Bourdieu's Fields, both from internal actions, and external to their social boundaries, since their relative autonomy against the Brazilian society and sports in general and their conformations and social characteristics / Doutorado / Atividade Fisica, Adaptação e Saude / Doutor em Educação Física

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