Gender and Sport

This research cluster will help to establish ASU as a leader in the study of sport in the humanities. The study of sport and the study of gender both require transdisciplinarity and a foundation of knowledge grounded in the humanities to peel off the layers of social and cultural meanings held by a society. The group will explore themes including the body and historical ideas about the body; identities and identity formation; youth and social justice; media, marketing and perceptions of popular consumption; systems of power and privilege; intersectionality with race, nationality, class, sexuality, and religion; human rights and freedom; transformation and social change; and the longer history that created the foundations of these topics as they relate to sport and gender.  The group will hold monthly meetings to discuss shared readings, develop and execute a research agenda, and organize a symposium on gender and sport. Participants in the research cluster will perform a survey to create a list of seminal texts on gender and sport; identify gaps and areas for further research; and launch projects to create new knowledge. The group will form collaborative partnerships with scholars and research centers at other universities, as well as local, national, and international sporting organizations focused on equity and access, and sport as empowerment.

Photo: Ina Gittings, 1905 (Physical Education for Women, Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries)