“Sport herstory”: The research trends and tasksin Korean women’s sport history, 2007~2016

Abstract

[Purpose] This study aims to examine the research trends in Korean women’s sport history and provide suggestions for future research by reviewing journal articles conducted in the last ten years (2007-2016). [Methods] The articles were selected from the Korean Journal of History for Physical Education, Sport, and Dance, which is the only, representative sport history journal in South Korea. 66 articles identified as studies of women’s (or women-related) sport history were analyzed in five categories, including a) period, b) theme/topic, c) purpose, d) method, and e) country. [Results] Specifically, the analysis by period showed that 90% of the research focused on modern and contemporary history, while only 7% of the research was set in pre-modern history. According to the analysis by theme/topic, genre has been studied most often with 36%, followed by figure (20%) and facility/institution/organization (15%). By the criteria of purpose, it was found that the majority of the research (48%) focused on historical evolution and transition, while the research on comparison/relation was of little scholarly interest. Regarding the category of method, textual analysis was used most often, with 70% followed by oral life history (27%). By the criteria of country, the largest ratio of papers studied Korea (75%) while only 3% of studies examined other East Asian countries, such as China or Japan. Comparative, diasporic, or transnational studies were the second most popular subcategory (11%). [Conclusion] According to the results, it was acknowledged that there has been a significant lack of interest in women’s sport history by Korean scholars and “sport herstory” is largely underresearched. In addition, the excessive concentration on a specific period or a particular theme was also exposed. To rectify the biased research practice and promote scholarly growth and enhancement in both academia of Korean women’s sport history and Korean sport history, it is necessary to consider the expansion of historical materials, application of new methodology, cross-disciplinary conversation, and theorization in studying women’s sporting experiences.