Assessing the sociology of sport: On China and the Olympics

Abstract

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, a leading scholar of the sociology of sport in China, Ruotao Huang, provides a historically-oriented cultural and organizational history of the development of social inquiry concerning sport in China. The trajectory of the sociology of sport in China can be seen through three periods, characterized as (1) initiation and legitimacy (1978–1997), (2) emergent and competing approaches (1998-2010), and (3) new directions (2011–present). The important roles of the China Sport Science Society, the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science, and other government bodies are considered in conjunction with stocktaking of funding priorities and topics. Key challenges surrounding the development of sociology of sport research in China concern understanding sport participation by social groups and classes, the linking of social inquiry with practical and business applications, and increasing interdisciplinarity in approaching topics such as the Olympic Games. Future directions in research indicate increased sophistication and moving beyond reliance on historical perspectives to more integral understanding of sport in social context.