Making Sport History : Disciplines, identities and the historiography of sport

How does the historian’s approach to the history of sport differ from those trained in the social sciences or in physical education? All three have contributed significantly to the remarkable amount of research in sports history in the last generation. But what is the relationship between them? Why, in particular, have historians become interested in sport? Which topics have historians chosen to study in sports history? How has their work influenced the wider world of history and been influenced by it? This important new collection of work by some of the world’s leading sport historians seeks to answer these questions and more, offering a fascinating overview of the evolution, current condition and future prospects of the discipline of sport history.

The field of sport history is a relatively new research domain, situated at the intersection of a number of disciplines and sub-disciplines. This interdisciplinarity has created interesting avenues for growth and fresh thinking but also inherent problems of coherence and identity. Making Sport History examines the development of an academic community around sport history, exploring the roots of the discipline, its current boundaries, borders and challenges, and looking ahead at future prospects. Written by a team of world-leading sport historians, with commentaries from scholars working outside of the sport historical mainstream, the book considers key themes in the historiography of sport, including:

• The relationship between history, sport studies and physical education
• Comparative analysis of the role of historians in the writing of sport history
• Modern and post-modern approaches to sport history
• Race, gender and the sport historical establishment
• The role of scholarly organisations, conferences and journals in discipline-building

Presenting new perspectives on what constitutes sport history and its core methodologies, the book helps explain why historians have become interested in sport, why they’ve chosen the topics they have, and how their work has influenced the wider world of history and been influenced by it. Making Sport History is essential reading for any advanced student, scholar or researcher with an interest in sport history, historiography, or the history and philosophy of the social sciences.