The Anthropology of Sport and Human Movement A Biocultural Perspective

by Sands, Robert R.; Sands, Linda R.; Entine, Jon; Heinrich, Bernd; Geertz, Clifford; Scott, Robert; Downey, Greg; Charlton, Vilma; Christensen, Dirk Lund; Cordain, Loren; Damkjaer, Søren; Friel, Joe; Irving, Rachael; Lewis, Kerrie P.; Mewett, Peter G.; Miah

• ISBN13: 9780739129401
• ISBN10: 0739129406
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-26
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Robert R. Sands is a consultant to 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	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Foundations	p. 1
Anthropology Revisits Sport through Human Movement	p. 5
Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man	p. 39
From Landscapes to Playscapes: The Evolution of Play in Humans and Other Animals	p. 61
Evolution of Human Running: The Precursor to Sport	p. 91
Endurance Predator	p. 95
Thermoregulation and Hydrating Strategies in Human Evolution	p. 103
Homo cursor. Running into the Pleistocene	p. 143
Culture, Genes, Race, and Performance	p. 183
Traditional and Modern Running Culture among the Kalenjin of Kenya: A Historical and Anthropological Perspective	p. 187
Black Like Me: The Shared Origins of Humanity and Why We Are Different	p. 213
"White" Men Can't Run: Where is the Scientific Evidence?	p. 243
Past, Present, and Future	p. 263
The Paleolithic Athlete: The Original Cross Trainer	p. 267
When Pain = Strain = No Gain: The "Physiology of Strain" and Exercise Intensity, c. 1850-1920	p. 277
Throwing like a Brazilian: On Ineptness and a Skill-Shaped Body	p. 297
The DREAM Gene for the Posthuman Athlete: Reducing Exercise-Induced Pain Sensations Using Gene Transfer	p. 327
Index	p. 343
About the Contributors	p. 347
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