Physical Cultural Studies and the challenges for the construction of its Brazilian/Latin American tones

Abstract

This paper addresses Physical Cultural Studies (PCS) as a powerful field of research related to the body and physical culture, developed in Brazil by researchers in local contexts. The manuscript explore the emergence of PCS as an development of Cultural Studies, the disciplinary struggles in North American kinesiology departments and the turn towards physical culture within the sociology of sport. At the same time, the study discusses PCS from the empirical, contextual, transdisciplinary, theoretical, political, qualitative, self-reflexive and pedagogical dimensions, linking them to local research and intervention practices by Brazilian researchers. Finally, the study challenges the construction of a PCS with Brazilian, and perhaps Latin American, tones.

Keywords:  Physical Education; Physical Cultural Studies; Body; Physical culture