The ‘male preserve’ thesis, sporting culture, and men’s power

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore these social processes by turning attention to the concept of sport as a ‘male preserve’. With this notion as our starting point, we outline in turn how sport has historically constituted male power in both structural and symbolic ways; how its role in doing so has begun to be challenged from without as well as within; and how those at the centre of this relationship have managed to ‘hold back the tide’ of change in several important respects. Throughout, we explore the dynamics of gender relations, rather than simply focusing on ‘masculinity’, as it is within the detailed unfolding of such social processes that we argue scholars are able to more adequately evidence, conceptualise and theorise the lives of men. Although our focus is necessarily limited, due to the constraints of space, we argue that these dynamics represent a key analytical problem for academics interested in sport and critical studies of men, as they point to pertinent questions around social change, gender relations and the operation and preservation of power.

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