With the aim of deepening understanding of the place of women in the cultural heritage of modern society, this collection of essays brings together the hitherto discrete perspectives of women's studies and the social history of sport.

During the last four decades women s and gender history have become vibrant fields including studies of attitudes regarding the limited physical and other abilities of females as well as studies of the accomplishments of notable female athletes. We have become increasingly aware that women have made contributions to physical education, dance and sport that go far beyond being teachers, athletes and coaches. They have created and implemented an astonishing variety of programs intended to serve the needs of large numbers of children and youth sometimes organizing student health services, as...

'Mapping an Empire of American Sport' chronicles the dynamic tensions in the role of sport as an element in both the expansion of and the resistance to American power and in sport's dual role as an instrument for assimilation and adaptation.