Instant Acceleration: Living in the Fast Lane: The Cultural Identity of Speed

by Robert R. Sands

This book is about the relationship between blackness, ethnicity, and speed. It is an in-depth ethnographic and anthropological study of a population of collegiate sprinters, constructed upon a formal model of ethnic and cultural identity which sees social interaction, expressed in the order and arrangement of social identities, as a means of establishing social networks through universal or cognitive rules. This study also introduces a unique method of intensive participant-observation; to really study a population, one must actively participate, placing the researcher in the social identity of those being studied. Contents: List of Photographs; Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Faces; The Ethnographic Pursuit of Speed; Cognition and Identity; Fall 1987; Winter 1988; Spring 1988; Summer 1988; The Eternal Season; Index.

150 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 1994

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal look into the psyche of collegiate sprinters. While there are several quality books about distance runners, this is a truly worthwhile read for track and field fans that are specifically interested in the sprints.