Marxism, Cultural Studies and Sport (2009)

edited by Ben Carrington and Ian McDonald
Publisher: Routledge

The cultural ubiquity, political prominence and economic significance of contemporary sport present fertile terrain for its critical socio-cultural analysis. From corporate and media dominated mega-events like the Olympic Games, to state programmes for nation-building and health promotion, to the cultural politics of “race”, gender, sexuality, age and disability, sport is so profoundly marked by relations of power that it lends itself to critique and deconstruction.

Marxism, Cultural Studies and Sport brings together leading experts on sport to address these issues and to reflect on the continued appeal of sport to people across the globe, as well as on the forms of inequality that sport both produces and highlights. Including a Foreword by Harry Cleaver and Afterword by Michael Bérubé, this book assesses the impact of this work on the fields of ‘mainstream’ Marxism and cultural studies. Marxism, Cultural Studies and Sport is centred on three vital questions:

Is Marxism still relevant for understanding sport in the twenty-first century?
Has Marxism been preserved or transcended by cultural studies?
What is the relationship between theory and intervention in the politics of sport?
The result is a unique and diverse examination of modern sports culture. The first book published on the relationship between sport and Marxism for over twenty years, Marxism, Cultural Studies and Sport is an invaluable resource for students of sport sociology, Marxism, and cultural studies at all levels.