Social Theory, Sport, Leisure

Ken Roberts’ Social Theory, Sport and Leisure offers a clear, compact primer in social theory for students needing to engage with the application of sociological perspectives to the study of sport and leisure. Written in a straightforward style and assuming no prior knowledge, the book offers a fresh and easy to read overview of sociology’s contribution to sport and leisure studies.

Ordered chronologically, each chapter:

• Focuses on the work of a major social theorist and their most influential ideas

• Provides helpful historical and biographical detail to set the person and their thinking in contemporary context

• Identifies questions in sport and leisure on which the theory can shed useful light

• Considers how the ideas can be, or have been, applied in the study of sport and leisure

• Works as a self-contained unit, enabling students and lecturers to use the book flexibly according to their needs.

Written by an outstanding sociologist of leisure and sport, this intelligent yet jargon-free textbook enables students to get to grips with a wide range of important concepts and understand their diverse applications. As such, it is essential reading for any course designed to explore the place and meaning of sport and leisure in society.

Ken Roberts is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool. He has also contributed to sport and leisure teaching at the University of Chester for over 25 years. He is a founder and honorary life member of the Leisure Studies Association, past President of the International Sociological Association Research Committee on Leisure, and past-President of the World Leisure Organization’s Research Commission. His books have been used on sport and leisure courses for 40 years.