Abstract

Hockey occupies a prominent role in the folklore of rural Canada. In this paper, I discuss the role of hockey events in expressions of place-based rural cultures. I draw from fieldwork conducted in three separate communities to discuss the semiotic processes involved in these events and their relationship to myths of rurality. Informed by mythologies and the carnivalesque, I unpack the way these events are engaged in the social processes of their communities. Firstly, I discuss how athleticism and social structures are subverted and reconceptualized. Secondly, I explore the freedom, profanation, and collective laughter of these events. Cumulatively, this analysis explores how normalized, performative transgressions of sport and social norms may be implicated in the construction of myths of rurality. While these events provide a glimpse into the resiliency and creativity of rural people, they may also distract us from thinking critically about the social political contexts shaping rural life.

摘要

曲棍球在加拿大农村的民间传说中占有重要地位。在本文中，我讨论了曲棍球赛事在以地方为基础的乡村文化表达中的作用。我利用在三个不同社区进行的田野调查来讨论这些事件所涉及的符号学过程及其与乡村神话的关系。在神话和狂欢节的启发下，我解开了这些事件参与其社区社会进程的方式。首先，我讨论了运动能力和社会结构是如何被颠覆和重新概念化的。其次，我探索这些事件的自由、亵渎和集体笑声。累积地，该分析探讨了体育和社会规范的规范化、表演性违反如何与乡村神话的构建有关。