The Running Centaur: Horse-Racing in Global-Historical Perspective

This book provides a selective global history of horse racing, approaching it as a deep history of diachronically comparable practices, discourses, and perceptions centered around the competitive staging of equine speed. It compares horse racing cultures from different epochs and regions, addressing core issues such as the spatial and architectural framework of races, organization, victory prizes, symbolic representations, and the social range and identities of participants. The evidence is interpreted in its historical contexts and with regard to specific cultural conditions.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book explores the rich history of horse racing,spanning from ancient times to the modern era. By adopting a holistic approach, it offers a selective global perspective on the sport. Unlike previous accounts of horse racing that often downplay the significance of premodern physical contests, this book treats racing as a profound history of diachronically comparable practices, discourses, and perceptions centered around the competitive display of equine speed.

To facilitate a meaningful comparison between horse racing cultures from diverse epochs and regions, the authors address a series of core issues that serve as structural comparative parameters. These key issues encompass the spatial and architectural framework of races, their organization, victory prizes, symbolic representations of victories and victors, and the social range and identities of the participants. The evidence of these competitions is interpreted within distinct historical contexts and with consideration of specific cultural conditions that shaped the relationships between owners, riders, and horses on the global racetracks of pre-modernity and modernity.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of The International Journal of the History of Sport, highlighting the significance of this sport in shaping human societies and cultures throughout history. Whether you are an avid horse racing enthusiast or a scholar interested in the broader study of sports and society, this book provides valuable insights into the rich tapestry of horse racing's past and present.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032162348