Race, Youth Sport, Physical Activity and Health ― Global Perspectives

This is the first book to focus on issues of ‘race’ and racism in youth sport, physical activity and health. Drawing on critical race theory, intersectionality and critical pedagogy, and presenting a range of international empirical case studies, it explores racialization processes in pedagogical and non-pedagogical settings.

Symeon Dagkas is Professor of Sport, Physical Activity and Society at the University of East London UK and the School of Health Sport and Biosciences. He is also the Head of School of Human and Life Sciences (designate) at Canterbury Christ University, UK (commencing January, 2017). In addition, he is an Honorary Senior Research fellow in the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham. He has over 90 outputs and has published his work in journals such as RQfES; QUEST; Journal of Physical Activity and Health; Sociology of Sport Journal; Ethnicity and Health; Sport Education and Society; British Journal of Sport Medicine to name a few. He published in 2012 a Routledge edited collection entitled: ‘Inclusion and Exclusion Through Youth Sport’; and in 2016, his second edited book entitled ‘Families, Young People, Physical Activity and Health: Critical perspectives’. Symeon has been a reviewer for many journals in the field as well as the Economic and Social Research Council in the UK. His grant activity has attracted funding from the Department of Health; London Sport Organisation; Birmingham City council; Newham Council; Redbridge Council; and Hackney Council to name a few. His work is concentrated on examining intersections of race, class, ethnicity and culture amongst young people with migrant and ethnic minority background and its impact on physical culture and agency towards sport, PE and physical activity.

Laura Azzarito is an Associate Professor of Physical Culture and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, USA. Her research examines the links among young people’s construction of the body, identity, and inequality issues from a pedagogical and sociocultural perspective. Her current research aims to understand the ways in which the intersectionality of gender/sex, race/ethnicity, and social class impacts young people’s embodiment in urban, multicultural school contexts. She is also interested in studying visual methods as a means for researching young people’s embodied identities and for exploring the transformative aspects of participatory research with young people in school contexts. The interdisciplinary nature of her research brings together art education, visual studies, curricula, physical education, and physical culture studies. She has published widely in refereed international journals and book chapters in PE and sport pedagogy, sociology of sport, qualitative methods, visual studies, and curriculum studies. Dr. Azzarito's recent book is Pedagogies, Physical Culture and Visual Methods (2013). Dr. Azzarito has presented her research findings at conventional venues of state, national, and international conferences, as well as at alternative sites, such as schools, museums, and community art centers that engage research participants and the general public. Dr. Azzarito is currently serving as an Associate Editor of Journal of Teaching in Physical Education and as Editor for Special Issues: Social Justice Feature for Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.

Kevin Hylton is Professor of Equality and Diversity in Sport, Leisure and Education at Leeds Beckett University, UK. Kevin is the first Black Professor to hold this title. Kevin is Head of the Research Centre for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the university. He is also Adjunct Professor at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. Kevin was heavily involved in community sport development in the 80s and early 90s and worked with marginalised groups and representative equality bodies. His teaching has been wide ranging yet all underpinned with a focus on social justice, social sciences, community, research theory and practice. His research focuses on race equality in local government and the nature and extent of ‘race’ and racism in sport, leisure and education. Kevin has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and high profile book projects. Kevin authored ‘Race’ and Sport: Critical Race Theory (Routledge, 2009) and is currently writing Contesting ‘Race’ and Sport: Shaming the Colour Line for Routledge. Kevin is Board Member for the International Review for the Sociology of Sport (IRSS) and the new Journal of Global Sport Management, having previously been Associate Board Member with the Sociology journal. He is an experienced international journal and book reviewer and has edited numerous book collections for Routledge, the Leisure Studies Association, and the Higher Education Centre for Sociology Anthropology and Politics. Kevin is Patron of the Equality Challenge Unit’s Race Equality Charter and Chair of the Leeds Beckett University Race Equality and Diversity Forum. Kevin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.