Historian Brian D. Bunk’s newest book, ‘Beyond the Field’ is out today with the University of Illinois Press.
In Beyond the Field: How Soccer Built Community in the United States Bunk adds extensive original research to our understanding of the creation of American soccer from the 1880s through World War I. By examining trends in immigration, urbanization, and industrialization, Bunk connects the drastic societal changes in American communities to the game of soccer. Described by Peter Alegi, author of African Soccerscapes, as “well-written and painstakingly researched,” this inspiring work of sport history attends to the often overlooked multicultural aspect of American soccer by detailing the contributions of African, Chinese, Hawaiian, Jewish, and Filipino communities on American soccer culture. Bunk’s work demonstrates the ways in which soccer clubs and organizations reached across ethnic lines and provided players and families with community support in times of hardship and celebration in times of joy.
This newest book from Bunk develops upon his previous research in From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States (University of Illinois Press, 2021). His additional previous books include Ghosts of Passion: Martyrdom, Gender, and the Origins of the Spanish Civil War (Duke University Press, 2007) and as co-editor, Nation and Conflict in Modern Spain: Essays in Honor of Stanley G. Payne (Parallel Press, 2008).
For more on the book and to order a copy, see the University of Illinois Press website.