Relevancia teórica y empírica de los documentos en la sociología del deporte figuracional

This article discusses the methodological implications of using a figurational approach to the study of Gaelic games (the Irish sports of hurling and Gaelic football) and their organisation and governance from the late nineteenth century onwards. Following Norbert Elias, we argue that data generation guided by theories, and potentially modifying such theories, are essential components of research endeavours. The problem of generalisation or representativeness of historical documents can be addressed by treating documents as part of a fi guration of evidence, thereby constituting a mutually supporting network of data that serves as a scaffold or structure for theoretical and empirical findings. Based on the experience of using documents such as newspaper and referee reports of matches, and also organisational documents such as the minutes of meetings at various levels of governance, we contribute to the discussion concerning borders and boundary maintenance between history, sociology and historical sociology. While we elaborate on the Eliasian perspective on emotional detachment, and secondary involvement, when conducting research, we also note the dificulties in avoiding ‘preferred’ readings of national history given that Gaelic games have been intertwined with the narrative and project of national self-determination in Ireland. Researchers are compelled to recognise the theoretical significance of sports as a motor and symbol of emotional identifications, but must also create distance from their own national habitus in order to prioritise participation in intergenerational knowledge generation over further national myth-making.El artículo aborda las implicaciones metodológicas de la utilización de un enfoque (histórico) figuracional aplicado al estudio de los juegos gaélicos (los deportes irlandeses del Hurling y el Fútbol Gaélico) y, en particular, al estudio de su organización y gestión desde fines del siglo XIX a nuestros días. Siguiendo a Norbert Elias, los autores defienden la importancia del método deductivo en la investigación documental. El problema de la generalización o representatividad de los documentos históricos se puede abordar mediante el tratamiento de los documentos como parte de la contrastación empírica, por lo que constituye una estrategia que retroalimenta los propios resultados teóricos y empíricos. Basándose en la explotación de documentos tales como informes periódicos de los árbitros, así como documentos organizativos tales como las actas de las reuniones en los distintos niveles de gestión, contribuyen a la discusión sobre las fronteras entre la historia, la sociología y la sociología histórica. Aun poniendo en práctica la perspectiva Eliasiana del desapego emocional, y la participación secundaria, los autores también observan las di#cultades para evitar lecturas “parciales” de la historia nacional irlandesa al desarrollar su investigación, dado que los juegos gaélicos se han entrelazado con la narrativa y el proyecto de autodeterminación nacional en Irlanda. En este sentido, los investigadores reconocen el significado teórico de los deportes como motor y símbolo de identificaciones emocionales, a la vez que se esfuerzan por crear distancia de su propio habitus nacional, con el fin de dar prioridad a la participación en la generación de conocimiento intergeneracional sobre los mitos nacionales.This article discusses the methodological implications of using a figurational approach to the study of Gaelic games (the Irish sports of hurling and Gaelic football) and their organisation and governance from the late nineteenth century onwards. Following Norbert Elias, we argue that data generation guided by theories, and potentially modifying such theories, are essential components of research endeavours. The problem of generalisation or representativeness of historical documents can be addressed by treating documents as part of a fi guration of evidence, thereby constituting a mutually supporting network of data that serves as a scaffold or structure for theoretical and empirical findings. Based on the experience of using documents such as newspaper and referee reports of matches, and also organisational documents such as the minutes of meetings at various levels of governance, we contribute to the discussion concerning borders and boundary maintenance between history, sociology and historical sociology. While we elaborate on the Eliasian perspective on emotional detachment, and secondary involvement, when conducting research, we also note the dificulties in avoiding ‘preferred’ readings of national history given that Gaelic games have been intertwined with the narrative and project of national self-determination in Ireland. Researchers are compelled to recognise the theoretical significance of sports as a motor and symbol of emotional identifications, but must also create distance from their own national habitus in order to prioritise participation in intergenerational knowledge generation over further national myth-making