Charles DeMotte – författare

James T. Farrell and Baseball is a social history of baseball on Chicago’s South Side, drawing on the writings of novelist James T. Farrell along with historical sources. Charles DeMotte shows how baseball in the early decades of the twentieth century developed on all levels and in all areas of Chicago, America’s second largest city at the time, and how that growth intertwined with Farrell’s development as a fan and a writer who used baseball as one of the major themes of his work.DeMotte goes beyond Farrell’s literary focus to tell a larger story about baseball on Chicago’s South Side during this time-when Charles Comiskey’s White Sox won two World Series and were part of a rich baseball culture that was widely played at the amateur, semipro, and black ball levels. DeMotte highlights the 1919–20 Black Sox fix and scandal, which traumatized not only Farrell and Chicago but also baseball and the broader culture. By tying Farrell’s fictional and nonfictional works to Chicago’s vibrant baseball history, this book fills an important gap in the history of baseball during the Deadball Era.

Consciousness and the Study of Society: Towards a New Perspective on Sociology introduces students to the fundamentals of sociology while also emphasizing the idea that perceptions based on one's level of consciousness shape the world in which we live.The text is organized into five distinct sections. The chapters in Unit 1 discuss the theoretical, analytical, and methodological groundwork for the study of sociology, including a brief consideration of the human constitution. Unit 2 examines the basic ideas that underscore sociology including culture, society, socialization, and how we make sense of everyday life. In Unit 3, students learn about issues of social identity that can perpetuate social differentiations and, at times, conflict between groups. These chapters cover social stratification and class, race, ethnicity, gender, deviance and social control, and sexuality. Unit 4 investigates the six primary social structures that provide the foundation of any society: family, politics, economics, religion, education, and health and medicine. The final unit looks to the future, proposing that upheavals in our current society will lead to an evolution of our society and a new cycle of human experience.Compelling, comprehensive, and designed to help students better understand themselves and the world around them, Consciousness and the Study of Society is an excellent textbook for foundational courses in sociology.

Fresh and innovative, American History and Baseball: Liberty, Freedom, and the National Pastime is a unique approach that uses a thematic view of American history as a lens through which to understand baseball.The text of each chapter is initially devoted to historical background, composed of various themes surveying key trends and events. Additionally, there is a corresponding focus on major developments in the evolution of baseball.The book sets out to differentiate myth from history and to see American society as a nation of contradictions. Specific topics include liberty and freedom, myths and origins, excess and celebrity in the 1920s, imperialism and World War I, and the challenges and prosperity of post-war America.The second edition features a new opening chapter that explores the concepts of liberty and freedom. Additional references that highlight definitions of key terms, a heightened focus on critical thinking, and new chapter summaries and study questions are included.American History and Baseball can be used in courses on history, sports media, and issues in American sport.

Bat, Ball & Bible chronicles the collision of moral and social forces in the argument over upholding New York State’s blue laws, meant to restrict social activities and maintain Sunday’s traditional standing as a day of religious observation. Baseball was at the center of this conflict, which led to upheaval in society at a time when New York, especially New York City, already was undergoing rapid changes. From its inception, baseball, whether professional or amateur, was woven into the fabric of communities across the country and thus played an important social role. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, baseball and the Sunday observance question involved the clash of religious organizations, civil and lobbying groups, and local and state politics. The debate over Sunday observance intensified as other movements, such as temperance and the crusades against boxing and gambling, were beginning to gain momentum. Deep class, racial, religious, and ethnic divisions in New York’s social order contributed to the issue as well. Bat, Ball & Bible is not solely about baseball; rather, it illuminates one of the earliest instances of a “culture war” whose effects are still being felt today. Reflecting a number of contemporary religious and cultural issues, the book has appeal far beyond baseball.

Fresh and innovative, the anthology Baseball and American Society: How a Game Reflects the American Experience takes the great American pastime and uses it as a lens through which to view history and society.The book is a critical examination of American society, primarily from the Civil War to the present. The first part of the text is devoted to historical background, with thematic chapters surveying key trends and events. The second part focuses specifically on major events and trends in the evolution of baseball. Political themes and social issues such as racism and the development of American capitalism are placed in the context of history. Specific topics include excess and celebrity in the 1920s, American capitalism and the rise of organized baseball, imperialism and World War I, and challenges and expansion in post-war America. The book provides a wealth of background information for courses on American society, as well as those that investigate the impact of sport in society. Baseball and American Society can be used in courses on history, sports media, and issues in American sport.