Eric Dunning (27 December 1936 – 10 February 2019) was a British sociologist who was
Emeritus Professor
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
In some c ...
of
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
at the
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...
.
Career
Eric Dunning was a pioneer in the sociology of sport and the founder, with Patrick Murphy and John Williams, of th
Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research He was the author of a number of books and articles on sport and the figurational sociology of
Norbert Elias
Norbert Elias (; 22 June 1897 – 1 August 1990) was a German-Jewish sociologist who later became a British citizen. He is especially famous for his theory of civilizing/decivilizing processes.
Life and career
Elias was born on 22 June 1 ...
. Although officially retired, Dunning remained an emeritus Professor of the University of Leicester as well as a visiting professor at the
Chester Centre for Research into Sport and Society. Dunning was also a member of the editorial board of the Jornal de Ciências do Exercicio e Esporte, Paraná Federal University, Brazil.
Dunning had edited and co-authored numerous books in the sociology of sport. In 1999 he published his first sole-authored book, ''Sport Matters''. In October 2000, he co-edited the comprehensive ''Handbook of Sports Studies'' with Jay Coakley. His book about
Norbert Elias
Norbert Elias (; 22 June 1897 – 1 August 1990) was a German-Jewish sociologist who later became a British citizen. He is especially famous for his theory of civilizing/decivilizing processes.
Life and career
Elias was born on 22 June 1 ...
, ''Norbert Elias and Modern Sociology'' is based partly on Dunning's personal experience working with Elias for more than three decades. The book, co-authored with
Jason Hughes, was published in 2012.
Dunning's supervised PhD students wer
Joseph MaguireDominic MalcolmMartin RoderickYair Galily
Chris Pitts
Andy Smith
Research interests
* sociological theory, especially the functional sociology and theory of civilizing processes of Norbert Elias and its place within the wider field of classical and modern sociology
* the sociology of sport and leisure
* problems of violence and civilization, especially sports-related violence such as football hooliganism
* the use of Elias's theory in understanding the Holocaust and genocide more generally.
Representative Publications
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunning, Eric
British sociologists
Academics of the University of Leicester
2019 deaths
1936 births
Alumni of the University of Leicester