News, Events and Activities
Exploring Embodied Research in Sport and Movement Cultures Symposium
On the 16th November 2016 the Sport and Body Cultures (SBC) research group in the section of Sport and Exercise Sciences hosted their first one day symposium to celebrate the theoretical, applied and methodological possibilities for embodied research in sport and movement cultures.
Fascinating keynote speeches were delivered by Professor Kath Woodward from the Open University who challenged disciplinary boundaries in exploring embodiment; Professor Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson from Lincoln University who illuminated the possibilities of social phenomenology; and Professor Andrew C. Sparkes from Leeds Beckett University who explored the embodied narrative told by a triathlete who died from cancer. There were eight other delegate presentations covering topics such as parkour, dance, and disability sport. Our own Ian Wellard, who is a Reader in the Sociology of Sport, and Amy Clark who is a University Instructor, also presented their research on CrossFit and ageing and women’s experiences of using gyms respectively. The day was a huge success attended by over 50 delegates and has set the scene for future events and collaboration. Watch this space!
QRSE 2016
John Day will be presenting a paper at the International Conference for Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, in Chichester this September. You can read his project abstract here.
NASSS
Dr James Brighton will be presenting a paper at The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport in Tampa Bay this November, you can read his abstract here.
International Science and Technology
Dr Jennifer Hardes will be presenting a paper at the International Science and Technology Conference in Barcelona this August. You can read their project abstracts here .
ISSA Conference 2016
Two members of SBC (Amy Clark and John Day) will be presenting papers at the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA) World Congress in Budapest, to be held on the 8th - 11th June. You can find out more about these papers by reading their project abstracts .
Gym Bodies: Exploring Fitness Cultures
James Brighton, Ian Wellard and Amy Clark have been commissioned by Routledge to write a book on Gym Bodies: Exploring Fitness Cultures . This is scheduled for publication in January 2018.
Whose Body is it anyway?
Ian Wellard is currently working on a new book, Whose body is it anyway? – Achieving wellbeing through sport and activity , to be published with Routledge.
This will be a sociological exploration of contemporary understandings of the body in order to highlight the conflicting ways in which it is considered, in different contexts, times and spaces, either as the possession of the individual or that of society (or both). It will explore these ideas through the central theme of sport and physical activity which is often considered an automatic pathway to wellbeing. For example, the notion of having a healthy body or a sporty body compared to an unhealthy or non-sporty body provides a useful mechanism to reveal the ways that the social operates to impose restrictions upon the individual and at the same time is enjoyed and experienced by the individual in ways that might suggest forms of agency. Consequently, by drawing upon a range of contemporary examples (such as sport/diets/fitness/public health interventions) an exploration is made of complex and competing factors that influence the way we view and make sense of our own bodies and those of others.
Ballet Body Narratives
SBC member Angela Pickard has a new book out titled, Ballet Body Narratives: Pain, Pleasure and Perfection in Embodied Identity . More information can be found on the promotional flyer.
Researching Embodied Sport
Ian Wellard recently released his edited book (published with Routledge) titled Researching Embodied Sport: exploring movement cultures . SBC members James Brighton, Laura Gubby and Angela Pickard have contributed chapters to the book along with a host of internationally renowned researchers.
More information regarding the book can be viewed at…
https://www.routledge.com/products/9781138793446
ISSA World Congress
Four members of SBC (James Brighton, Amy Clark, John Day and Ian Wellard) presented papers at the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA) World Congress held in Paris from 9 th to 12 th June. You can find out more about these papers by reading the project abstracts .