All hail Physical Cultural Studies, a bright new development in interdisciplinary work worldwide. But what is Physical Cultural Studies? An important new book coming out later in 2016 is Routledge’s new Handbook of Physical Cultural Studies. This extensive volume will help to define the field for the foreseeable future. I was the original reviewer for the project for the publisher Routledge and I was so impressed I set up a Physical Cultural Studies research group. My own recent Routledge book Football and Accelerated Culture: This Modern Sporting Life was seen by the publisher as a contribution to the field of Physical Cultural Studies. Breaking new ground and consolidating top class scholarship around the world, this handbook will light a fire within what used to be called Leisure Studies and sociology of sport. But why Physical Cultural Studies? Labels sometimes are just window dressing. The label in this particular case is very important. The Routledge Handbook of Physical Cultural Studies, edited by the excellent scholars Michael Silk, David Andrews and Holly Thorpe, alongside a relatively recent special issue of the journal Sociology of Sport on Physical Cultural Studies, help to further define and consolidate the emerging field. The history and genesis of Physical Cultural Studies is very recent and as a writer, teacher and researcher in the field myself I can see that a large section of scholars internationally will welcome this shift with open arms. Given the emergence of the new trajectory in the area formerly dominated by sociology of sport in recent years Physical Cultural Studies is very exciting and timely.
Why does this shift matter?There is significance because of the incorporation of the wide range and full extent of the difference in the new field of Physical Cultural Studies displayed as opposed to the previous sociology of sport area. The sociology of sport was always narrowly conceived. In fact sociology of sport was often a complete misnomer and therefore misleading, always much wider than just sociology as a discipline. Physical Cultural Studies is a most appropriate successor. It recognizes and celebrates what we might call ‘the physical cultural turn’ and the extent of Cultural Studies interest in a range of new topics and tropes.
Physical Cultural Studies has already achieved solidity and normality by being regularly shortened to PCS. Journals and Departments of Physical Cultural Studies will emerge alongside sociology of sport journals and Human Movement Departments before very long – for instance the department at University of Bath has already become a Physical Cultural Studies department. Research groups and clusters devoted to PCS already exist. The idea of a Routledge Handbook of Physical Cultural Studies in this context is all of a piece.
