The Sociology of sport actor: from Norbert Elias’ “de-controlled control of emotion” to Postmodern and Reflexice Sport Subcultures

Abstract

In this paper I analyze the concept of sport actor, focusing on modern sport practices. In the first part, I examine figurational sociology, to describe the civilizing process and the development of individual self-control. This theory appears similar to the “repressive hypothesis” of Foucault’ History of Sexuality. Elias, however, seems to discover a form of reflexivity going further than the old “modern” practice, and underlining the dialogical processes, through individual, personal, self construct of new images of the world.