Theories of Greek and Roman Sport

Abstract

This chapter discusses the use of theory in the study of Greek and Roman sport. It begins with a brief review of the reasons for the relative paucity of theory in the relevant scholarship, then goes on to examine five different kinds of theory that have been productively applied to the study of sport: functionalism, conflict theory, the ‘discipline’ theory of Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu’s work on corporeal discipline and on the relationship between sport and social inequality, and ritual theory. This is by no means a comprehensive survey of theories that have been used in the study of sport—a task that could occupy a volume of its own. The five theories discussed here were chosen because they have strong potential usefulness in the study of Greek and Roman sport.