Tag: sport anthropology

Sport resists easy generalisation – social scientists now accept there can be no universal definition. Nonetheless, a set of ideas have coalesced into the institution commonly known as ‘Sport’. This modernist – now neoliberal – notion has become hegemonic worldwide, and it increasingly delimits the possibilities of social action. If in fact we study two phenomena – the diverse phenomena ‘sport’ and the particular modernist notion of ‘Sport’ – then scholars must situate their analysis within the contexts that shape these concepts

We encourage a broad interpretation of how sport and play are defined, inviting scholars whose work includes topics of embodied learning, institutional or structural components of sport and play, imagination, action and acting, adventure, competition, leisure and recreation, and other forms of physical activity. We especially encourage contributions that develop ideas regarding diversity within sport and play, including but not limited to gender, race, and ability. We invite original research articles (4,000 words max, excluding references) that address this issue’s theme.

The Sport Anthropology Caucus (SAC) invites interested scholars to submit abstracts for its third edition, held during the 2024 North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) conference. This year, SAC is set to continue growing a community of anthropologists of sport by aligning itself with the International Network of Sport Anthropology (INSA), a global network of scholars committed to promoting the growth of the field and creating spaces for scholars to collaborate on projects.

At the International Network of Sport Anthropology, we recognise the need to challenge the hegemonic force of sport. We invite researchers from all related disciplines to consider how we might place sport more appropriately in context, seek to re-place it elsewhere, or indeed replace it altogether. We challenge researchers to consider more closely what sport is, including recognising that the very idea of ‘sport’ now permeates much of social life, affecting the ways definitions are formed.