Brazilian Sports History

Brazilian Sports History is a collection of essays by leading scholars on the history of sport in Brazil. The staging of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games have heightened Brazil’s sporting legacy across the globe and it is very timely and relevant that this English language title breaks down the barriers of language which have previously distanced Brazilian historiography from international scholarly discourse.

Sport History is a growing field of study in Brazil. In the past decades, scholars from different areas have taken an increasing interest in studying how sports help us in understanding broader social, cultural, political and economic aspects of society. Barriers of language have often distanced Brazilian historiography from the international community which makes this volume in English especially important as a contribution to the field. In the last decade, Brazil has been on the spotlight of international sporting events and with the staging of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, the world is focused on Brazilian sports, and this book provides a route into understanding it.
Brazilian Sports History offers a glimpse into the work of ten Brazilian leading sport historians, exploring topics as diverse as sports in 19^th-century Brazil, the political aspects of sport in Brazilian authoritarian regimes, sport and environment, the image of Brazilian women and sport, sport as a Brazilian intangible cultural heritage and the importance of staging mega sporting events in Brazilian politics. This book was previously published as a special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.