Abstract
As sociologists of sport involved in teaching and researching the broad area of theemergence and development of modern sport we have been captivated by therecently reinvigorated debate in the International Review for the Sociology ofSport (IRSS) concerning the place of violence-reduction in the socio-genesis ofsports. In this brief review of the debate between Dominic Malcolm and RuudStokvis — and, by extension, that between figurational sociologists of sport anda figurational sympathizer — we present a selective summary and critique of thelatest phase in a lively and productive discussion regarding the emergence anddevelopment of modern sporting forms. We do so in the belief that stimulatingthis kind of dialogue in the IRSS is not only worthwhile in itself, but also holdsout the promise of making a significant contribution to our understanding of thedevelopment of modern sport in the form of a refinement of existing explanations.Before addressing the core of the debate between Stokvis and Malcolmand, a decade earlier, Stokvis (1992) and Elias and Dunning (1986), we providea short summary of their respective positions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 119-123 |
| Journal | International Review for the Sociology of Sport |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 11 Jun 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Reference text: Dunning, E. (1992) ‘Figurational Sociology and the Sociology of Sport: Some Concluding Remarks’,in E. Dunning, E. and C. Rojek (eds) Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process: Critique and
Counter-Critique, pp. 220–84. Basingstoke: Macmillan
Dunning, E., Malcolm, D. and Waddington, I. (2004) ‘Introduction’, in E. Dunning, D. Malcolm and
I. Waddington (eds) Sport Histories: Figurational Studies in the Development of Modern Sports,
pp. 1–14. London: Routledge.
Elias, N. (1986) ‘An Essay on Sport and Violence’, in N. Elias and E. Dunning, Quest for Excitement.
Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Malcolm, D. (2002) ‘Cricket and Civilizing Processes: A Response to Stokvis’, International Review
for the Sociology of Sport 37(1): 37–57.
Malcolm, D. (2004) ‘Cricket: Civilizing and De-civilizing Processes in the Imperial Game’, in E.
Dunning, D. Malcolm and I. Waddington (eds) Sport Histories: Figurational Studies in the
Development of Modern Sports, pp. 71–87. London: Routledge.
Malcolm, D. (2005) ‘The Emergence, Codification and Diffusion of Sport: Theoretical and
Conceptual Issues’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport 40(1): x–x
122 INTERNATIONAL REVIEW FOR THE SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT 40(1)
01_IRS articles 40_1 2/16/05 11:01 AM Page 122
Sheard, K. (2004) ‘Boxing in the Western Civilizing Process’, in E. Dunning, D. Malcolm and I.
Waddington (eds) Sport Histories: Figurational Studies in the Development of Modern Sports,
pp. 15–30, London: Routledge.
Stokvis, R. (1992) ‘Sports and Civilization: Is Violence the Central Problem?’ in E. Dunning and C.
Rojek (eds) Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process: Critique and Counter-Critique, pp.
121–36. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Stokvis, R. (2005) ‘The Civilizing Process Applied to Sports: A Response to Dominic Malcolm —
Cricket and civilizing processes. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 40(1): x–x
Keywords
- figurational sociology
- violence
- sport
- Malcolm
- Stokvis
