Adventure and outdoor sports - from rock climbing to freestyle kayaking are a modern social phenomenon that can tell us much about the relationship between sport, culture and contemporary society. In this engaging new introductory text, adventure sports are used to illustrate key concepts in social theory and to demonstrate why an understanding of social theory is essential for any student taking a course in sport, adventure, or outdoor education.

Each chapter in the book introduces a key classical or modern social theorist, including Marx, Durkheim, Weber and Elias, or a universal...