This conference, convened by Dr. Solène Froidevaux (Swiss National Science Foundation, University of Lausanne) and Dr. Claire Nicolas (Swiss National Science Foundation, King’s College London), will take place in February 2022 at King’s College London. It aims at thinking about the political dimensions of the feminist theories and the ways we use them (or not) in Sport Studies.
In recent years, feminist (#meetoo; #NiUnaMenos), anti-racist (Black Lives Matter; Rhodes Must Fall) and ecologist (Extinction Rebellion; Fridays for Future) political movements have become increasingly visible in academia, including in Sports Studies. While this testifies to the renewed conversations taking place within universities and academia, resistance to this social justice turn is also in evidence. Feminist claims and analyses are still often disparaged as overly activism-led (McRobbie, 2009). In addition, feminist studies are sometimes subjected to “gender washing” through depoliticised analyses that use gender equity fallaciously in the aim of receiving funds or visibility. At this crossroads, we consider it essential to think about how, why, for what and for whom we refer to feminist scholarship in Sports Studies. What does it mean to produce feminist knowledge and ways of knowing, in a research area in which feminist concerns and approaches remain marginal?
Click here to download the full call for papers.
Interested participants are invited to send proposals outlining their particular approach to feminist theories, methodologies and politics and the empirical basis of their proposed contribution by 30 September 2021. Participants will be expected to send more detailed abstracts for their presentation a month before the conference.