New publications

Trotting territory: The cultural realm of Swedish horse betting

News: Oct 17, 2011

Per Binde

Human beings in social interaction create life-worlds with shared symbols, meanings, and values. Some forms of gambling, among them horse betting, therefore tend to evolve into bounded cultural domains with specific beliefs, norms, and traditions. Gambling becomes the core of a world-building activity. This chapter concerns one such cultural realm established by gambling – the one created and re-created at the Åby trotting track in Sweden at the days of racing. The study builds on participant observation and analyses the social interactions and cultural meanings that structure people’s experience of Åby trotting track.

Published in: Gambling, Space and Time: Shifting Boundaries and Cultures, eds. P. Raento & D. Schwartz.

Description/review: University of Nevada Press.

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