CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF BOURDIEU,PIERRE TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT

This article deals with works in sport sociology based on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of habitus and field. The work of Defrance introduced this theory in social history. subsequently, Pociello and his team demonstrated the relations existing between the space of sports and that of social positions as well as the role of symbolic struggles involving various groups of sports participants in the dynamics of the sports system. The power of symbolism associated with sporting practices is closely bound to the social relevance of the physical dimension in sports. Also discussed is the equivalency between struggles for the definition of the legitimate body and social political struggles. The theoretical and methodological coherence of the works discussed here is sufficient to label them a ''school'' within sociology of sport.