International Review for the Sociology of Sport current issue

The Big Drum: The Mutability of a Sporting Habitus: Mountaineering in Scotland as a Case Study

Brown, D. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

There is some debate around structure and agency in Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. On reading Bourdieu’s work it can be understood why a great deal of empirical research suggests class reproduction in the context of participation in different sports. An examination of the changing nature of Scottish mountaineering, during the period from 1920 to 1960, however, gives an almost unique insight into how a class-based sporting habitus can be changed by the dialectical exchange of dispositions that can occur when the dominance of a class fraction is challenged by another.

Postmodernism, Queer Theory and Moral Judgment in Sport: Some Critical Reflections

Edwards, L., Jones, C. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

The emergence of postmodern discourse, and more recently queer theory, has had a significant impact on sports feminism. Rejecting grand narratives and universal values, postmodern research attempts to explore the diversity of women’s sporting experiences in relation to identity concepts such as sex, gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. Such research often highlights important moral issues like intolerance and injustice. Postmodern and queer theories’ epistemological commitments, we argue, imply ethical relativism. This, we believe, undermines critical reflection and political action. We argue for an alternative, non-relativist ethical stance, which provides the necessary resources to evaluate critically certain problematic social practices in sport.

Fitness Cultures and Environmental (in)Justice?

Mansfield, L. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

This article focuses on the environmentalist agenda in fitness cultures. The article is an initial critical exploration and limited to an analysis of the key principles of political ecology and environmentalism and the concept of sustainability in understanding the emergence of an environmentalist agenda in fitness cultures marked by shades and grades of green consumerism. Author involvement in outdoor military fitness regimes and a series of visits to activity holiday centres and health/fitness spas in the UK all of which make some claim to being ‘green’, ‘environmentally friendly’, and/or ‘natural’, provided the empirical context for the discussion in this article. It argues for further research from the political ecological field, exploring human/non-human dynamics of the environment, to advance an understanding about which sports and fitness cultures get developed where, how and in whose interests.

'They Light The Christmas Tree in Our Town': Reflections on Identity, Gender, and Adolescent Sports

Miller, K. E. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

Sport occupies a prominent space in the public lives and private identities of US adolescents. Using the retrospective reflections of college students, this analysis explores two questions about sport-related identities during high school: Are ‘athletes’ and ‘jocks’ distinctly separate identities? Are these identities explicitly gendered? In four gender-segregated focus groups conducted in early 2005, 32 student-athletes from two upstate New York colleges discussed their high school experiences of sport, status, gender, and identity. Three primary themes developed with regard to differences between the ‘jock’ and ‘athlete’ archetypes: academic focus, teamwork, and cockiness/ aggression. Examining the intersection of gender, high-status/high-profile sport, and identity in both popular cultural imagery and the personal experiences of the focus group discussants provided support for the thesis of a ‘toxic jock’ phenomenon.

Glasgow Rangers Supporters in the City of Manchester: The Degeneration of a 'Fan Party' into a 'Hooligan Riot'

Millward, P. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

On 14 May 2008 Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg contested the UEFA Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium. Zenit St Petersburg won the match but the event was marred by violent clashes between Glasgow Rangers supporters and Greater Manchester Police’s Tactical Support Group officers in Manchester city centre during the game. News coverage largely attached blame for the disorder upon Glasgow Rangers’ supporters, however, this article, principally drawing upon participant observation material supported by other relevant literature, will argue that responsibility is diffuse across a number of constituencies and that Rangers fans alone should not be blamed for the degeneration of a ‘fan party’ into a ‘hooligan riot’.

A Sociological Analysis of the Controversy Over Electric Stimulation To Increase Muscle Strength in the Field of French Sport Science in the 1990S

Terral, P., Collinet, C., Delalandre, M. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

This article presents a scientific controversy in the world of French sport science. It focuses on electric stimulation, a technique used to increase muscle strength by using a device that sends electric impulses into the muscle. This technique has been the subject of numerous scientific studies, but the results stemming from such research are contradictory and have thus created a typical controversy. The controversy involves several actors, which this article will identify; we shall also address the arguments developed by each to impose their point of view. Through the analysis of 50 scientific papers and 15 interviews with prominent researchers involved in the controversy, this article examines the social processes at work in the construction and resolution of the controversy. These processes engage various conceptions of scientific research and particularly enhance the conflict between fundamental and applied science. The controversy is also based on axiological positions and values, in particular various conceptions of competitive sport, and the relationship between research and the sport industry. In addition, this article argues that the conflict can be better understood if one considers the social stance of the researchers in the field of sport science and the interests associated with their stances.

Review Article: Myth-Making and Myth-Breaking in Professional Sports: Roger Bannister and the Four Minute Mile: Sports Myth and Sports History, by John Bale. London: Routledge, 2004, 143 pp. $47.50 (paperback), ISBN: 041534607X. Professional Sports: Examining Popular Culture, edited by James D. Torr. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2003, $22.45 (paperback), 192 pp., ISBN: 073771588X

Mason, F. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST

Book Review: Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball, by Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford. London: The New Press, 2005, pp. 306 incl., bibliog., index, {pound}17.99, $26.95, ISBN 1565848225 (hbk). Give and Go: Basketball as a Cultural Practice, by Thomas McLaughlin. Albany: SUNY Press, 2008, pp. 250 incl., bibliog., index, $21.95, ISBN 9780791473931 (hbk), 9780791473948 (pbk)

Lake, R. J. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36:24 PST