Description
Book SynopsisThe evolution of the human species has always been closely tied to the relationship between biology and culture, and the human condition is rooted in this fascinating intersection. Sport, games, and competition serve as a nexus for humanity''s innate fixation on movement and social activity, and these activities have served throughout history to encourage the proliferation of human culture for any number of exclusive or inclusive motivations: money, fame, health, spirituality, or social and cultural solidarity. The study of anthropology, as presented in Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement, provides a scope that offers a critical and discerning perspective on the complex calculus involving human biological and cultural variation that produces human movement and performance. Each chapter of this compelling collection resonates with the theme of a tightly woven relationship of biology and culture, of evolutionary implications and contemporary biological and cultural expression.
Trade ReviewRecommended. * CHOICE, November 2011 *
To date the Anthropology of Sport has been dominated by accounts that have emphasized the social and cultural dimensions of such activities. This volume makes a significant contribution to the Anthropology of Sport through the development of a more systematic biocultural approach to sporting activities. What is particularly exciting about this volume is that the authors have been encouraged to explore the interactive and dynamic relationship between culture and biology in such a variety of ways and from such a variety of positions. Framed by Geertz’s account of the importance of a concept of culture for human evolution, even while moving well beyond this early attempt, the ethnographic papers in this volume are theorised with a keen sense of the biocultural complexity of human movements. This book will find a place on bookshelves of all of us interested in the meanings and organization of human movement in social life. -- Philip Moore, Curtin University of Technology, Australia
The Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement moves the discussion about the role of sport in human society to a new level, integrating the latest findings of biogenetics and physiology with the insights regarding sport as a cultural phenomenon. The collection is a breakthrough for the discipline, a gold mine of ideas for future research, and important reading for everyone who appreciates and takes seriously the study of human movement, sport, and play. -- Kendall Blanchard, Georgia Southwestern State University
Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 2 Preface 3 Acknowledgments Part 4 I. Foundations Chapter 5 1. Anthropology Revisits Sport through Human Movement Chapter 6 2. Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man Chapter 7 3. From Landscapes to Playscapes: The Evolution of Play in Humans and Other Animals Part 8 II. Evolution of Human Running The Precursor to Sport Chapter 9 4. Endurance Predator Chapter 10 5. Thermoregulation and Hydrating Strategies in Human Evolution Chapter 11 6. Homo cursor: Running into the Pleistocene Part 12 III. Culture, Genes, Race, and Performance Chapter 13 7. Traditional and Modern Running Culture among the Kalenjin of Kenya: a Historical and Anthropological Perspective Chapter 14 8. Black Like Me The Shared Origins of Humanity and Why We Are Different Chapter 15 9. 'White' Men Can't Run: Where is the Scientific Evidence? Part 16 IV. Past, Present, and Future Chapter 17 10. The Paleolithic Athlete: The Original Cross Trainer Chapter 18 11. When Pain = Strain = No Gain: The 'Physiology of Strain' and Exercise Intensity, c.1850-1920. Chapter 19 12. Throwing Like a Brazilian: On Ineptness and a Skill-shaped Body Chapter 20 13. The DREAM Gene for the Posthuman Athlete: Reducing Exercise-Induced Pain Sensations Using Gene Transfer 21 Index
