Sport, Physical Education, and Social Justice

Social justice issues have come to the forefront of sports in recent times. Athletes, fans, and scholars have all wrestled with their renewed significance. Given such context, this collection edited by Watson (Archbishop of York Youth Trust, UK), Jarvie (Univ. of Edinburgh), and Parker (Ridley Hall, Cambridge) is a most welcome contribution to the ongoing conversations. Although a slim volume, it offers a rounded introduction to the use of sport to address inequality and exclusion. Across 11 chapters, leading experts consider religious, social, and philosophical accounts of the place of sport in remedying marginalization, misrepresentation, and disempowerment, particularly in relation to race, gender, religious affiliation, ability, and citizenship status. Individual chapters anchor themselves in various perspectives, e.g., Christianity and Judaism, education and cultural studies, as well as psychology and sociology, while considering such topics as homelessness, disability, racism, and citizenship. Importantly, the volume presents a cohesive and compelling case for the contemporary role of sporting worlds, especially calling on physical education to take a leading role in advancing social justice. This is both a primer and a handbook that merits a place in research libraries and upper-level college classrooms, as well as on the shelves of scholars concerned with sport and social justice. - C. R. King, Columbia College Chicago, CHOICE Review