The Construction of the area of anthropology and social studies on sport in Latin America: interview with Roberto DaMatta

Abstract

We interview the anthropologist and historian Roberto DaMatta, one of the great precursors of anthropology of sport and, particularly, football studies in Latin America. He highlights the construction of an interdisciplinary field that has gained relevance in the last 40 years, with the first publication of the book O Universo do Futebol: esporte e sociedade brasileira, in 1982. The researcher holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Peabody Museum at Harvard University and a degree in History from the Fluminense Federal University. He was head of the Anthropology Department at the National Museum and is a Full Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. He was a pioneer in the studies of rituals and festivals in industrial societies, having investigated Brazil as a society and cultural system through various practices, including sports.