Jeux, sports et sociétés

Physical Practices and Sportification: Between Institutionalisation and Standardisation. The Example of Three Activities in France

“…They insist on the fact that sportification standardises praxis 36 and erases the sense of regional identity: 'Games permanently oscillate between two poles: the patrimonial one of tradition with its inherited and perpetuated cultural identity, and the modern one with the sportification of practices viewed as a necessary condition for survival'. 37 Besides it is also a source of tensions and quarrels between the dancers who uphold tradition and the original spirit of the practice, and those who wish to promote its development.…”

“…6 Many researchers bring to light the resistances and tensions linked to sportification 7 ; others adopt a critical vision of the process, denouncing the standardisation it implies and the impoverishment -even mutilation or total disappearance -of traditional practices. 8 Sportification is then envisaged as a process of globalisation which can also be observed in other social activities. 9 Renson 10 presents a panorama of the various studies in this field and wonders about the relationship between traditional games and modern sports.…”

Are there still social barriers to women's rugby?

“…That is why the player who intentionally harms an opponent is severely punished, sometimes even expelled from the match'. 30 This is not the case for boxers, for instance, whose main objective is the complete opposite. By Goffman's standards, rugby is not a fatal situation because the body is not at stake, the stakes being purely problematic: 'Attacking another player ( .. . )…”

“…This is the reason why, beyond the social logic, which is on the outside of the activity, we propose to develop ties with the activity by setting out its 'internal logic'. 28 We thus aim at defining this sporting activity from the 'inside', i.e. its specificity: the motor skills it requires.…”

Sports, violences et territoires

“…L'affrontement varie selon les pratiques sportives et amène à diviser les sports en catégories. Les essais de classifi cation refl étant la diversifi cation des pratiques ne manquent pas et la plus complète a été proposée par Parlebas (1986Parlebas ( , 1999. Nous nous limiterons ici à la distinction entre les sports qui se déroulent dans des lieux spécialement aménagés (stades, gymnases, etc.)…”