Badminton in Saskatcheawn, 1919-1993: Elitism and Mass Participation in Sport

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to study the historical evolution of the sport of badminton within the province of Saskatchewan from 1919 to 1993. The study has two major themes. First, it chronicles the beginnings, development and growth of the game. In doing so, it analyzes the nature of the sport, to whom it appealed, who was most influential in establishing its place in the province, and why it could never totally eliminate its elitist element. Second, the study investigates the historical background and social context that surrounded and influenced the emergence of badminton in an industrialized British society that was in transition. Also, it shows how it maintained its viability throughout the period in Saskatchewan by analyzing how this sport of the military, which was initially played almost exclusively by the upper class, gradually became a sport enjoyed by the middle class and accessible to the working class. Slowly badminton changed from being the refined sport of "ladies and gentlemen" to a sport that could be either played competitively or for pleasure, irrespective of race, class or gender.