The personal and the political in teaching, research and activism

In this essay, we consider the ways in which Sugden's outline of critical proactivism plays out within our specific areas of research, teaching and activism. In particular, we consider how our understanding of "critical, practical, [and] empirical engagement, rather than fixating upon abstract debate and unmovable theoretical principles" (Sugden, 2010, 267) allows us to refine and develop as scholars and practitioners. We use personal narratives to demonstrate the self-reflective nature of our long-term engagement with a critical reading of sport, social justice, and different forms of activism. When considered together, these separate stories offer some insight into the ways in which critical proactivism is embedded within our work at the University of Brighton and will hopefully offer readers practical illustrations of the implementation of such strategies

Sport, Gender and Development : Intersections, Innovations and Future Trajectories

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access, thanks to Knowledge Unlatched funding, and freely available to read online. In a context where striving for gender equity in relation to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals seems more pressing than ever before, Sport, Gender and Development: Intersections, Innovations and Future Trajectories bring together an exploration of sport feminisms to offer new approaches to research on Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) in global and local contexts. Including postcolonial and decolonial feminist lenses by drawing upon fieldwork with organizations and individuals in Afghanistan, Uganda, Nicaragua, and India, Sport, Gender and Development reveals the complexities of development and gender discourses and how they operate on and through researchers, practitioners, and participants\u27 bodies. Delving into a thoughtful engagement with the (dis)connections and comparisons across these diverging contexts, this book offers a critically reflexive account of what is transpiring in the transnational sport, gender, and development field, while remaining sensitive to the importance of community context and local iterations. Taking up emerging and contemporary feminist issues in sport-related international development, this book advances empirical, conceptual, and theoretical developments in the sport, gender, and development. Read the full book at https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/doi/10.1108/9781838678630.https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/fac_bk/1006/thumbnail.jp

Examining the Educator: Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Sport for Development and Peace

A consistent feature across sport for development and peace (SDP) programs is the use of education to facilitate and support individual transformation and wider social change. The content of education within SDP programs is broad ranging. It may focus on developing health literacy on issues such as HIV/AIDS or malaria, comprise rights-based education aimed at developing awareness of social issues such as gender inequality, or involve skills-focused education that supports participants to develop skills and competencies such as leadership and negotiation, which can help them navigate challenges they face in their communities more effectively (Nicholls, 2009). The types of educators working across programs are also highly diverse. Educators can range from international volunteers, paid teachers/coaches and NGO staff to peers and community elders. Inevitably, these individuals bring different forms of knowledge, educational and cultural experience to the programs. This brief description illustrates the diversity that exists within SDP programs seeking to ‘educate through sport’. Education is an integral part of SDP practice but is interpreted and delivered very differently across different programs and contexts. However, while other dimensions of SDP have attracted growing academic attention, critical analysis of education within the SDP sector has been largely absent (Spaaij and Jeanes, 2013). Recent research largely focuses on assessing program impacts and outcomes (e.g. Coalter, 2013); yet, the educational processes through which these impacts and outcomes may be achieved are still under-explored. Considering the centrality of education in achieving potential SDP outcomes, it is important to address this lacuna. Further, given the complexity of how education occurs, we would argue that there are numerous potential avenues of exploration. This chapter focuses on one specific aspect of education through sport, namely the role of the educator in SDP programs. Who educates is an important decision in any educational setting; where they come from, their beliefs and values, how they are positioned and position themselves and their relationship with students will greatly influence learning and the potential for social change. Building on theoretical work which advocates using the lens of critical pedagogy as developed by the late Brazilian educator Paulo Freire to analyse and enhance educational practice in SDP (Spaaij and Jeanes, 2013), this chapter specifically considers how the educator is positioned within critical pedagogy and how this translates to SDP practice. We not only analyse current practice but also highlight the tensions experienced by educators of turning Freire’s theoretical lens into praxis at a community level. These issues are examined with specific reference to two different SDP contexts where we have conducted intensive fieldwork: HIV/AIDS education in Zambia and employability education in Brazil (Spaaij 2011, 2012; Jeanes, 2013)

The State of Play: Critical sociological insights into recent 'Sport for Development and Peace research

The maturation of the field of ‘Sport for Development and Peace’ (SDP) is reflected in the growing number of research publications on the topic. This article focuses on a recent review of English-language research publications on SDP from 2000–2014 conducted by Schulenkorf et al. (2016. Sport for development: an integrated literature review. Journal of Sport Management 30: 22–39). We attempt to extend the analysis of current SDP research offered by Schulenkorf et al. through an exploration of the sociological implications of their key findings. In particular, we offer critical sociological commentary on key insights regarding the conceptualization of SDP; the dominant theoretical perspectives used in SDP research; the methodology and dissemination of SDP research and the demographics of researchers and research teams. In so doing, we seek to encourage critical reflection and practical considerations for scholars interested in the critical sociological analysis of SDP.</jats:p