Transcript - Edge Hill Research Archive

Theories of Sport and Exercise
Andy Smith
Student Workshop, Copenhagen Summer School 2011
Theory? Oh Dear.
Why Bother?
Key Premises and Observations
• (1) Scholars in sport and exercise
often arrive at very different answers
to the same questions
• (2) One reason is that they frequently
approach their study from quite
different theoretical positions
• (3) In the social scientific study of
sport there are several differing and
often conflicting theoretical
approaches
• (4) As students, you will inevitably be
confronted with (often daunting)
theoretical dilemmas
Introductory Questions
• (1) What is the purpose of theory?
• (2) To what extent can different theories be
combined to study sport and exercise?
• (3) What is the relationship between theory,
methods, and evidence?
• (4) What are the opportunities and
challenges of multi-disciplinary approaches
to the study of sport and exercise ?
• (5) What are the opportunities and
challenges of inter-disciplinary approaches
to the study of sport and exercise ?
The Role of Theory (like a map)
• It aids in providing an understanding of
what is being observed/studied
• Provides a guide to observation, signalling
what to look out for and what to ignore
• Assists the observer in attempting to make
connections or links between evidence
• Helps researchers attempt to make
systematic sense of human beings and the
societies that they form
• Is a guide to identifying patterns of
behaviour and social relationships in sport
and exercise
The Role of Theory (like a map)
• Help us select relevant data
• Helps provide explanations of
sport and exercise that have a
degree of adequacy
• An unavoidable interdependence
or ‘two-way traffic’ (Elias, 1978)
between theory and evidence
• So try to think with a ‘theoretically
prepared mind’ (Merton, 1967: 12)
• There is nothing as practical as
good theory!
Theories of Sport and Exercise
Theory
Key assumptions
Key concepts
Strengths
Weaknesses
Application to Sport and
Exercise
Making Sense of Sport and Exercise
• The relationship between the
‘individual’ and ‘society’?
• The relationship between human
values and understanding?
• Our job as sociologists (scientists) as
destroyers of myths?
• ‘The fascination of sociology lies in
the fact that its perspective makes us
see in a new light the very world in
which we have lived all our lives’
(Berger, 1963: 33)
‘Seeing Through the Eyes of Others’
• Interpreting society and sport
from the perspective of others
• The importance of what Weber
called Verstehen – search for
empathetic meaning and
understanding
• The importance of context and
process
• The dangers of ‘going native’
(Young, 1971)
Body Ritual among the Nacirema
• Written by Miner – an anthropologist
writing in the style of ethnography
• An account about the body related
rituals of a cultural group called “the
Nacirema”
• Q: Who are the Nacirema?
• Q: What do we learn about the culture of
the Nacirema?
• Q: How does Miner’s description of the
Nacirema affect our ability to identify
them?
• Q: What writing techniques does Miner
use to describe the Nacirema?
Questions from the Nacirema
• How does the article help you understand
your own view of other cultures and how
you are viewed by other cultures?
• And why do some of the practices and
rituals of other cultures seem foreign to
you?
• What assumptions did you make about
the Nacirema?
• How does your personal involvement,
assumptions and cultural norms and
values affect your understanding and
perceptions of other people/cultures?
Lessons from the Nacirema
• Objective: to make the familiar unfamiliar
• It is as if Miner is from another planet and
is merely reporting what he observes
without the benefit of any understanding
of the culture he describes
• So: your personal involvement is vital to
making sense of your research ideas and
data, but it can also be a threat to your
understanding
• What techniques can we use to notice
when we are making assumptions about
others, and how can we minimize this?