RESEARCH IN SOCIOLOGY OF SPORTS IN INDIA AND POSSIBILITIES FOR THE WORLD

Abstract

This paper focuses on the state of Sociology of Sport in India, a country with a population of 1.3 billion and a sport culture that seems to show particular characteristics, but remains relatively under-researched. This could offer an abundance of opportunities for Indian scholars, as well as foreign ones. The objective of the paper is to reveal some of these specificities of the Indian context, relying on the conceptual work of researchers from Europe and other parts of Asia such as China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. One of the issues to be discussed is the attitudes of parents towards sport as a recreational activity and as a prospect of career growth. Another concern, which requires investigation, is the place of sport in the public education system, which puts much more emphasis on academic subjects at the expense of physical education. All of these features of the Indian sport culture hinder the participation of youth in sport and physical activity, and, to address this challenge, the paper aims to identify the potential priorities of a sport sociological research agenda in India. With this background, it is trusted that this piece shall contribute towards a better understanding of the sociological factors which can be instrumental in the promotion of sports and physical culture, the development of youth and the nation.

We are hopeful that this may reflect an increasingly vibrant research culture in these countries, and of immense benefit to the Indian scholarly fraternity, specifically “Sports Sociologists”. Indeed, the tradition of social scientific research into sport is more established in the Far West than in other Asian regions. At this juncture, we hope that this study stimulates academic curiosity about social, political and economic implications of sport in the wider Asia-Europe region. This research is basically premised on Sociology of Sports in India and the developments, with a research base of two states of India, for prospects of Researchers from the Western world.