Abstract
Much attention is now being paid to the concept of “Community”. Not only in the field of urban sociology but also in the sociology of sport, “Community” is a key concept for understanding and resolving structural problems faced by both urban and rural residents.
Discussions on the “public sphere of sport”, however, have run into deadlock when dealing with certain concrete structural problems. Furthermore, sports sociologists working on how sports practice can develop in communities have never been part of cumulative discussions in the field of urban sociology.
The scope of studies on “Sport and Community” should involve a time-axis (historical-cultural) perspective to counterbalance the ideal and spatial frameworks. Apart from discussion on sport in relation to “human rights” and the “public good”, we must pay much attention to sites at which sport can create a new community by contributing to the resolution of structural problems. We will then be able to enter into a discussion on the “public sphere” created by sport practices.
Urban sociology in Japan acknowledges sport as a medium that gives people a chance to meet each others in an urban setting. However, it has never been acknowledged as a public benefit that can contribute to creating an “autonomous community” for urban dwellers. We in the field of sports sociology should focus on places where people have tried to create “autonomous communities” through sports practices.
