Joannes Van Gestel - Norbert Elias, Social History and Sport

In times when the social sciences have become increasingly fragmented and more focused on the pieces of the puzzle, the puzzle, as a topic in its own right, has slowly been moved towards the background. Nonetheless, as humanity becomes ever more globalized, there is a greater need for in-depth discussion on the theory behind the direction of humanity in history and the interrelationships between the different areas in which humans associate, including that of leisure and sport.

At its heart, Norbert Elias and the Analysis of History and Sport explains both the course of history and how the roles that leisure and sport have occupied in it should be investigated. Exploring this from Norbert Elias figurational (or process sociological) standpoint, the book offers a unique perspective as Van Gestel approaches the theoretical concepts and ideas by systematizing the views of the iconic scholar and offers new insights into his central theory. Furthermore, drawing upon theoretical principles that are universal to humans rather than relative to a case study, Van Gestel offers an applicable guideline which explains phenomena beyond specific cultures or circumstances that have so far been a customary practice by process sociologists.

Norbert Elias and the Analysis of History and Sport is a valuable title which will appeal to postgraduate students and scholars interested in fields such as social studies, leisure and sport studies, and history.

Joannes Van Gestel is a research fellow at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Antwerp, Belgium.

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Norbert Elias and the Analysis of History and Sport

Systematizing Figurational Sociology

Joannes Van Gestel

Systematizing Figurational Sociology

Joannes Van Gestel

First published 2018
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The contribution of Norbert Elias (18971990) to theories on historical developments on a social scale has come to be regarded as truly masterful, especially since his passing. These developments were noticeable in his book The Civilizing Process, and the reasons for their occurrences were addressed in later works such as What is Sociology?, The Germans and The Court Society. His views did not die with him, as other process sociologists or figurational sociologists and sympathizers continued to develop his work in new avenues of sociological investigation, especially in the area of sport and leisure. The Civilizing Process (the title of the book translated from German to English) is a misleading title as it may lead the reader to believe, or try to convince him/her, that the history of humankind is characterized by a continuum of civilizing developments. He/she would be right to refute such a claim by referring to certain historical facts such as the Holocaust and Stalins reign.

Norbert Elias and the Analysis of History and Sport not only pays tribute to the work of Norbert Elias, it also aims to elaborate on some of his favourite topics, such as the analysis of social history by making use of the process sociological principles. Such attempts have been undertaken in the past but with varying degrees of success. Moreover, the attempts of Norbert Elias in explaining historical phenomena were not always met with open arms, as is evident from Duindam (1995), Duerr (1988), and Sieferle and Breuninger (1998). What makes this book original and useful is that it not only outlines a general description of the work and beliefs of Norbert Elias, it also addresses the process sociological principles more systematically than has been customary so far. There is a reason for this. Where a reader might sometimes have the impression that process sociological authors may write from a common sense or ad hoc point of view (relying on data that leaves a lot of space for interpretation), it is important to highlight two issues. First, perhaps there is more room and should be more appreciation for quantitative methodology in process sociological investigation; and second, that this should be founded on a sound theoretical and coherent base. I have difficulties recognizing either, or both, in most available material. In addition, with social science as well as sport-specific topics increasingly having to support political standpoints or study the effects of policy implementations, it has on balance shifted towards rather positivistic analyses. Such analyses, which rely only on statistical methodology to illustrate correlational and causal relationships, do have their merits, but they also leave gaps, especially when dealing with the added dimensions entailed in the study of increasing networks of people that are involved in several fields, including sports practice and governance. In an attempt to systematize the process sociological approach, the style of the approach is quite different to one that is employed by the more typical or mainstream process sociologists. This opens new possibilities. From such a model a more totalitarian approach can be employed, which facilitates contributions and corrections to the process sociological model, and it assists in asking questions that need answering by means of future social research.