SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE POSTMODERN RUNNING MOVEMENT IN GREECE

Autors/ores

  • Yannis Georgiou School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
  • Nikolaos Patsantaras School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
  • Irene Kamberidou School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Sociology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v13i2.6568

Paraules clau:

running movement, postmodernity, social stratification, identity, social capital

Resum

The present study investigates the social and demographic characteristics of participants in the contemporary running movement in Greece, interpreting the phenomenon through the theoretical lens of postmodernity. Drawing on empirical data from 3,228 runners who participated in a large-scale running event, the research examines whether the Greek running movement constitutes merely a form of recreational physical activity or a distinct social and cultural field within the broader sports system. Beyond descriptive statistical mapping, the study integrates theories of new social movements, social stratification, social capital, and systems theory, alongside postmodern sociological perspectives (Habermas, Inglehart) to interpret the structural and symbolic dimensions of participation. The findings indicate that the running movement in Greece is predominantly composed of middle-to-upper social strata, characterized by high educational attainment and relatively stable income levels. Significant gender differences persist, with male participation remaining dominant, although female presence is steadily increasing. The results suggest that running has transcended the boundaries of individual exercise and has become a postmodern field of identity construction, value expression, and symbolic transformation of public space. Participants demonstrate strong elements of individualization combined with selective forms of collective belonging, reflecting broader value shifts toward self-realization, health, autonomy, and experiential lifestyles. The study concludes that the Greek running movement functions as a distinct sports subsystem and as a postmodern social movement that redefines the relationship between social stratification, identity, and the transformation of urban space.

 

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Biografies de l'autor/a

  • Yannis Georgiou, School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

    Yannis Georgiou is a PhD Candidate of Sport Sociology at the School of Physical Education and Sport Science (SPESS) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece (NKUA). After his studies in Sports Management, Exercise and Quality of Life, in Dietetics and Sport Nutrition, and in Sport Sociology, at the University of Peloponnese, Democritus University of Thrace, Harokopeio University of Athens, and the NKUA, from where he received four respective master’s degrees. Yannis turned his research interest to investigating running movement in Greece in relation to various sociological variables, from the perspective of systemic theory as a distinct social system. His scientific and research interests are in Sport Sociology and Sport Management. He has participated in several conferences as a speaker and published in a number of scientific journals and conference proceedings.

  • Nikolaos Patsantaras, School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

    Nikolaos Patsantaras is a Professor of Sport Sociology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), the School of Physical Education and Sport Science (SPESS), where he completed his undergraduate studies. He continued his graduate and doctoral studies at the University of Konstanz in Germany. He was the Vice-Dean of the SPESS and the former Director of the SPESS Theoretical, Social Sciences and Humanities Division: https://en.phed.uoa.gr/staff/academic_staff/staff/nikolaos_patsantaras

  • Irene Kamberidou, School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Sociology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

    Irene Kamberidou is a Professor of Sociology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), the School of Economics and Political Science, the Department of Sociology. Irene is one of the six members of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee of the NKUA and a member of the Gender Equality Committee of the School of Economics and Political Science. She completed her BA and MA at Emmanuel College and Boston College, Boston and Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA, respectively, and her junior year at the Sorbonne (Paris IV), France. Having repatriated to Greece, she completed her PhD at the Sociology Department of Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens: http://scholar.uoa.gr/ikamper/home

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Descàrregues

Publicat

2026-03-04

Número

Vol. 13 Núm. 2 (2026)

Secció

Articles

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