Snowboarding bodies in theory and practice /

A specialist in the sociology of sport, Thorpe (sport and leisure studies, Univ. of Waikato, New Zealand) devoted seven years to an extensive investigation of the worldwide occurrence and prevalence of snowboarding and the culture that has developed from it. Here she presents the results of that study. Looking at the history of snowboarding and its current context, she considers snowboarding as a sport and as it intersects with lifestyle, gender relations, travel, industry, and media. Each chapter offers a different theoretical viewpoint--for example, cultural studies, feminism, and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of embodiment. Blending theory and research, this book understands snowboarding as both sport and an artifact of physical culture. The volume will serve those interested in cultural and feminist studies as well as sports. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, general readers. M. E. Beagle Berea College