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Sociology of Sport: Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Sociology of Sport: A Global Subdiscipline in Review

ISBN: 978-1-78635-050-3, eISBN: 978-1-78635-049-7

Publication date: 10 November 2016

Abstract

This chapter reviews the sociology of sport as a subdiscipline in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The review is based on analyses of central documents, scholarly contributions, as well as interviews with some key scholars in the field. The review describes both similarities and differences across the three countries. The sociology of sport as a subdiscipline and research field is a relatively new area. Among the decisive factors that prompted the field to grow were the expansion of higher education and the institutionalization of sport studies as an academic field during the 1970s. Each country today has approximately 15–20 scholars who identify themselves as sport sociologists. None of the Scandinavian countries have special research programs for research funding in the social sciences of sport, and the main funding derives mostly from the research resources linked to the scholars’ professorships/scholarships and external funding. The research trajectories of the field are mostly concentrated around areas like youth sport, participation studies, sport politics, and team sports. Besides scholars involved in gender studies and body culture, most of the key contributors also belong to these areas. Scholars make use of multifaceted theoretical and methodological approaches. One of the main future challenges of the research field is to maintain and strengthen its critical traditions against the strong influence from neoliberal sport management discourses.

Keywords

Citation

Hovden, J. and Rafoss, K. (2016), "Sociology of Sport: Norway, Sweden and Denmark", Sociology of Sport: A Global Subdiscipline in Review (Research in the Sociology of Sport, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 265-283. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1476-285420160000009019

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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