Running, Identity and Meaning: The Pursuit of Distinction Through Sport

Baxter, an independent sociologist and writer who directs a group of education consultancies in the UK, explores the relationship between running, identity, and meaning, arguing that different ways of running reflect individuals' access to resources, levels of privilege, and beliefs and values. He draws on data from surveys, interviews with runners, and historical material and contemporary running-related media in his discussion of the theoretical foundations of his approach and its emphasis on leisure, lifestyle, and the body; the history and development of the field of running in the UK from the Middle Ages to the present; quantitative data on running, including comparisons to other popular sports and relationships to age and gender, ethnicity, disability and mental health, occupation and education, and other variables; running in relation to the themes of disciplining the body and mind, competition and performance, and place; and the relationship to the wider social space and the reproduction of various social identities. Distributed in North America by Turpin Distribution. Annotation ©2021 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)