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KIN 249: Critical and Critital Feminist Theories

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Critical Theories

"forms of critical theory were developed as people realized that societies are too messy, complex, and fluid to be described as ‘systems' and that it is not possible to develop a general explanation of social life that is applicable to all societies at all times in history" (Coakley 41)

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Lecture Notes

Critical theories developed as a response to the structuralist theories we discussed in the last lecture. Instead of seeing society as a system that seeks equilibrium, critical theories see society as a complex set of negotiations that are always changing. Critical theories look for the arguments, the tensions and the power dynamics that divide society as much as the norms, values, and ideologies that synthesize societies. If functionalist and conflict theories argue that "sports are a reflection of society" (Coakley 41); critical theories argue that "societies are too messy, complex, and fluid to be described as ‘systems' and that it is not possible to develop a general explanation of social life that is applicable to all societies at all times in history" (Coakley 41) In our examination of sport history thus far, we have been using a critical perspective: we assume that sport is not a static or solid thing. Instead, sport changes over time and varies by place and culture.