Games, Sports and Cultures

An inclination to view games and sport as ephemeral, non-serious, and inconsequential has served to discourage the distinctive contribution that anthropology might make to the study of sport, as well as the rich insights that a fuller appreciation of sport might furnish to anthropology. This book brings a distinctively anthropological

From Balinese cockfights to American baseball, the 24 contributions in this book examine the roles that play, games and sport assume in their respective societies, cultures and subcultures.

Describes sports and games that were played from the 5th through 15th centuries in areas such as Africa, Asia, India, the Middle East, the Americas, Oceania, and Europe, and includes suggestions on how to adapt many of the games to modern use.

This volume grew out of an International Workshop at the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1967, sponsored by the UNESCO Committee for Sociology of Sport.

This multivolume set is much more than a collection of essays on sports and sporting cultures from around the world: it also details how and why sports are played wherever they exist, and examines key charismatic athletes from around the world who have transcended their sports. • Nearly 900 entries