Dominance, Resistance and Hegemony: A Historical Analysis of Sport in Latin America

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explain how sport was shaped and molded through the intersections of the economic, political and cultural currents of various countries in Latin America. More specifically, by exploring the historical background of the development of sport, particularly related to baseball and soccer in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Brazil, and Yucatan in Mexico, this study offers a glimpse at understanding how these forms of sports became an integral part of culture and society of these countries. The study was guided and inspired by arguments made by sport studies scholars who see sport as a cultural phenomenon, rich with sources to help us understand and explain society better (Birrell, 1989; Coakley, 2017; Yiannakis & Melnick, 2001). Also, this study employed a historical analysis method to deepen our understanding of culture and society within various contexts (Mandelbaum, 1977; Seifried, 2007). The study revealed that sport, as an important part of cultural practice, often intersected with complex and complex social dynamics and played a significant role as a powerful cultural tool with which people created meanings and significance surrounding it. Because Latin America is rich with diverse ethnicity and culture, the scope of this study was limited to sport in the few countries mentioned above. The underlying cultural ideology of dominance, resistance, cultural hegemony was the focal point of the study as they profoundly influenced and contoured the sporting experiences in people in the countries mentioned above.