Ian Wellard - Researching Embodied Sport: Exploring movement cultures

Despite a growing interest in the sociology of the body, there has to date been a lack of scholarly work addressing the embodied aspects which form a centralpartof our understanding and experience ofsport and movement cultures. Researching Embodied Sport explores the political, social and cultural significance of embodied approaches to the study of sport, physical activities and dance. Itexplains how embodied approaches fit with existing theory in studies of sport and movement cultures and makes a compelling case for incorporating an embodied approach into the study of sporting practices and experience.The book adopts a multi-disciplinary lens, moving beyond the traditional dualism of body and mind, and incorporating the physical with the social and the psychological. Itapplies key theories that have shaped our thinking about the body and sport, and examines both the personal, subjective experience of sporting activitiesand those experiences involving engagement and contact with other people, in team sports for example. The book also explores the methodological implications of doing embodied research, particularly in terms of qualitative approaches to sports research.Written by a team of leading international sports researchers, and packed with vivid examples from sporting contexts as diverse as surfing, fell running, korfball and disability sport, Researching Embodied Sport is fascinating reading for any advanced student or researcher working in the sociology of sport, physical cultural studies, physical education, body studies or health studies.