The Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement: A Biocultural Perspective

by Robert R. Sands (Editor), Linda R. Sands (Editor)

Overview

The evolution of the human species has always been closely tied to the relationship between biology and culture, and the human condition is rooted in this fascinating intersection. Sport, games, and competition serve as a nexus for humanity's innate fixation on movement and social activity, and these activities have served throughout history to encourage the proliferation of human culture for any number of exclusive or inclusive motivations: money, fame, health, spirituality, or social and cultural solidarity.

The study of anthropology, as presented in Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement, provides a scope that offers a critical and discerning perspective on the complex calculus involving human biological and cultural variation that produces human movement and performance. Each chapter of this compelling collection resonates with the theme of a tightly woven relationship of biology and culture, of evolutionary implications and contemporary biological and cultural expression.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739149416
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	10/11/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	366
File size:	795 KB

About the Author

Robert R. Sands is a consultant for the Department of Defense for Language, Regional Expertise and Culture programs.

Linda R. Sands is a wildlife biologist and project scientist with CH2M HILL.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments xi

Part 1 Foundations 1

1 Anthropology Revisits Sport through Human Movement Robert R. Sands 5

2 Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man Clifford Geertz 39

3 From Landscapes to Playscapes: The Evolution of Play in Humans and Other Animals Kerrie P. Lewis 61

Part 2 Evolution of Human Running: The Precursor to Sport 91

4 Endurance Predator Bernd Heinrich 95

5 Thermoregulation and Hydrating Strategies in Human Evolution Timothy Noakes 103

6 Homo cursor: Running into the Pleistocene Robert R. Sands 143

Part 3 Culture, Genes, Race, and Performance 183

7 Traditional and Modern Running Culture among the Kalenjin of Kenya: A Historical and Anthropological Perspective Dirk Lund Christensen Søren Damkjaer 187

8 Black Like Me: The Shared Origins of Humanity and Why We Are Different Jon Entine 213

9 "White" Men Can't Run: Where is the Scientific Evidence" Yannis P. Pitsiladis Rachael Irving Vilma Charlton Robert Scott 243

Part 4 Past, Present, and Future 263

10 The Paleolithic Athlete: The Original Cross Trainer Loren Cordain Joe Friel 267

11 When Pain = Strain = No Gain: The "Physiology of Strain" and Exercise Intensity, c. 1850-1920 Peter G. Mewett 277

12 Throwing like a Brazilian: On Ineptness and a Skill-Shaped Body Greg Downey 297

13 The DREAM Gene for the Posthuman Athlete: Reducing Exercise-Induced Pain Sensations Using Gene Transfer Andy Miah 327

Index 343

About the Contributors 347

What People are Saying About This

Philip Moore

To date the Anthropology of Sport has been dominated by accounts that have emphasized the social and cultural dimensions of such activities. This volume makes a significant contribution to the Anthropology of Sport through the development of a more systematic biocultural approach to sporting activities. What is particularly exciting about this volume is that the authors have been encouraged to explore the interactive and dynamic relationship between culture and biology in such a variety of ways and from such a variety of positions. Framed by Geertz’s account of the importance of a concept of culture for human evolution, even while moving well beyond this early attempt, the ethnographic papers in this volume are theorised with a keen sense of the biocultural complexity of human movements. This book will find a place on bookshelves of all of us interested in the meanings and organization of human movement in social life.

Kendall Blanchard

The Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement moves the discussion about the role of sport in human society to a new level, integrating the latest findings of biogenetics and physiology with the insights regarding sport as a cultural phenomenon. The collection is a breakthrough for the discipline, a gold mine of ideas for future research, and important reading for everyone who appreciates and takes seriously the study of human movement, sport, and play.

Editorial Reviews

To date the Anthropology of Sport has been dominated by accounts that have emphasized the social and cultural dimensions of such activities. This volume makes a significant contribution to the Anthropology of Sport through the development of a more systematic biocultural approach to sporting activities. What is particularly exciting about this volume is that the authors have been encouraged to explore the interactive and dynamic relationship between culture and biology in such a variety of ways and from such a variety of positions. Framed by Geertz’s account of the importance of a concept of culture for human evolution, even while moving well beyond this early attempt, the ethnographic papers in this volume are theorised with a keen sense of the biocultural complexity of human movements. This book will find a place on bookshelves of all of us interested in the meanings and organization of human movement in social life.

Philip Moore

The editors of this volume want to promote an anthropology of sport and, in particular, advocate a biocultural approach to the subject. To that end, they have gathered 13 articles arranged in four sections. The book first presents foundational thinking on sport, play, and the concept of "man" (the latter in a Clifford Geertz reprint). There follow sections on the evolution of human running, the role of race in sports (principally running), and the final mix of topics on exercise, pain, and ineptness (among Paleolithic athletes, contemporary hunter-gatherers, and Brazilian capoeira practitioners, as well as in pain management systems of the future). While claiming interest in sport and human movement broadly understood, the articles show a major emphasis on running. Similarly, while the stated aim is to show the intersection of the biological and cultural, the more complex data, sophisticated analyses, and general awareness of recent scholarship lay on the biological side. This orientation can be explained in part by the disciplinary spread of the authors: three are anthropologists while other work the fields such as sociology, biology, health and exercise, medical science, international health, and business.

Choice Reviews

The Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement moves the discussion about the role of sport in human society to a new level, integrating the latest findings of biogenetics and physiology with the insights regarding sport as a cultural phenomenon. The collection is a breakthrough for the discipline, a gold mine of ideas for future research, and important reading for everyone who appreciates and takes seriously the study of human movement, sport, and play.

Kendall Blanchard

Recommended.

November 2011 Choice Reviews

Recommended.

November 2011 Choice

The editors of this volume want to promote an anthropology of sport and, in particular, advocate a biocultural approach to the subject. To that end, they have gathered 13 articles arranged in four sections. The book first presents foundational thinking on sport, play, and the concept of "man" (the latter in a Clifford Geertz reprint). There follow sections on the evolution of human running, the role of race in sports (principally running), and the final mix of topics on exercise, pain, and ineptness (among Paleolithic athletes, contemporary hunter-gatherers, and Brazilian capoeira practitioners, as well as in pain management systems of the future). While claiming interest in sport and human movement broadly understood, the articles show a major emphasis on running. Similarly, while the stated aim is to show the intersection of the biological and cultural, the more complex data, sophisticated analyses, and general awareness of recent scholarship lay on the biological side. This orientation can be explained in part by the disciplinary spread of the authors: three are anthropologists while other work the fields such as sociology, biology, health and exercise, medical science, international health, and business.

Choice

The editors of this volume want to promote an anthropology of sport and, in particular, advocate a biocultural approach to the subject. To that end, they have gathered 13 articles arranged in four sections. The book first presents foundational thinking on sport, play, and the concept of "man" (the latter in a Clifford Geertz reprint). There follow sections on the evolution of human running, the role of race in sports (principally running), and the final mix of topics on exercise, pain, and ineptness (among Paleolithic athletes, contemporary hunter-gatherers, and Brazilian capoeira practitioners, as well as in pain management systems of the future). While claiming interest in sport and human movement broadly understood, the articles show a major emphasis on running. Similarly, while the stated aim is to show the intersection of the biological and cultural, the more complex data, sophisticated analyses, and general awareness of recent scholarship lay on the biological side. This orientation can be explained in part by the disciplinary spread of the authors: three are anthropologists while other work the fields such as sociology, biology, health and exercise, medical science, international health, and business.

CHOICE

Recommended.

November 2011 CHOICE