"One Hundred Per Cent American": Nationalism, Masculinity and American Legion Baseball in the 1920s
Issue Date
2009-04-14Author
Bustad, Jacob J.
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
114 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
American Studies
Rights
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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"'One Hundred Per Cent American': Nationalism, Masculinity and American Legion Baseball in the 1920s," provides a sociohistorical analysis of baseball and social attitudes and ideologies of the pre- and post-World War I period, specifically focusing on the joining of nationalism and masculinity through the playing of sport. My work explores amateur baseball in the context of the post-World War I period (1920-1930), focusing on the American Legion's baseball program started during that same era. By incorporating the theorization of "hegemonic masculinity," first popularized by sociologist R.W. Connell and a major theme in the sociology of sport, I argue that amateur baseball constituted a distinct form of nationalist American masculinity that figured prominently in both the status of the sport and the understanding of gender within post-war American culture. By focusing on the instruction of these amateur players, I demonstrate how nationalism and masculinity converged through the kinesthetic "play"ing of baseball by young American males.
Collections
- American Studies Dissertations and Theses [52]
- Theses [3901]
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