Barbarians, gentlemen, and players : a sociological study of the development of rugby football

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Title:

Author:

Dunning, Eric.

ISBN:

9780714653532

9780714682907

Personal Author:

Dunning, Eric.

Edition:

2nd ed.

Publication Information:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2005.

Physical Description:

xviii, 310 p. ; 24 cm.

Series:

Sport in the global society

Series Title:

Sport in the global society

General Note:

Previous ed.: Oxford, England : M. Robertson, 1979.

Contents:

Introduction : the development of rugby football as a sociological problem -- 1. The folk-antecedents of modern rugby and their decline -- 2. Football in the early-nineteenth-century public schools -- 3. The preconditions for modernization : embourgeoisement and public school reform -- 4. The incipient modernization of rugby football -- 5. The 'civilizing process' and the formation of the RFU -- 6. The democratization of rugby football -- 7. Professionalization and the amateur response -- 8. The split -- 9. The class structure and the professionalization of British sport -- 10. The professionalization of rugby league -- 11. Rugby union as a modern sport : bureaucracy, gate-taking clubs and the swansong of amateurism -- Conclusion : sociological reflections on the crisis in modern sport.

Abstract:

"First published in 1979 this classic text was the first study of the development of Rugby and has a seminal place in the library of the history and sociology of sport. With a new foreword and a new afterword, Dunning and Sheard now provide a sociological analysis of the major developments that have taken place in Rugby since the 1980s, with particular attention to the professionalism that was predicted in the first edition of this text." "Barbarians, Gentlemen and Players, Second Edition will be an invaluable resource for sports lovers, rugby fans and students of the history and sociology of sport."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject Term:

Rugby football -- Social aspects.

Added Author:

Sheard, Kenneth.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168015764877	796.333 D924B 2005	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

First published in 1979, this classic study of the development of rugby from folk game to its modern Union and League forms has become a seminal text in sport history. In a new epilogue the authors provide sociological analysis of the major developments in international ruby that have taken place since 1979, with particular attention to the professionalism that was predicted in the first edition of this text. Sports lovers, rugby fans and students of the history and sociology of sport will find it invaluable.
Rugby football is descended from winter 'folk games' which were a deeply rooted tradition in pre-industrial Britain. This was the first book to study the development of Rugby from this folk tradition to the game in its modern forms. The folk forms of football were extremely violent and serious injuries - even death - were a common feature. The game was refined in the public schools who played a crucial role in formulating the rules which required footballers to exercise greater self-control. With the spread of rugby into the wider society, the Rugby Football Union was founded but class tensions led to the split between Rugby Union and Rugby League.

The authors examine the changes that led to the professionalisation of Rugby Union as well as the alleged resurgence of violence in the modern game.