Heroines of Sport: The Politics of Difference and Identity Review

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(More customer reviews)There are surprisingly few books on women (and queer people) in sport, and of the few I found, this was the one most appropriate for introducing the topic to undergraduate students who are not specifically studying sports sociology. I used it as background reading for a lecture on sports and music in a queer music survey course, and it was just what I needed. The arguments generally are not very novel, and anyone with a background in women's studies or queer studies would not find much very new here, but it is a good resource for introducing many of these standard issues to non-specialist undergrad students, and it is unique in its coverage on women and sport. Overall, I'm glad to have it on my shelf, and have used it several times.

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Heroines of Sport looks closely at different groups of women whose stories have been excluded from previous accounts of women's sports and female heroism. It focuses on five specific groups of women from different places in the world South African women; Muslim women from the Middle East; Aboriginal women from Australia and Canada; and lesbian and disabled women from different countries worldwide. It also asks searching questions about colonialism and neo-colonialism in the women's international sport movement.The particular groups of women featured in the book reflect the need to look at specific categories of difference relating to class, culture, disability, ethnicity, race, religion and sexual orientation. In her account, Jennifer Hargreaves reveals how the participation of women in sport across the world is tied to their sense of difference and identity. Based on original research each chapter includes material which relates to significant political and cultural developments.Heroines of Sport will be invaluable reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of sport sociology, and will also be relevant for students working in women's studies and other specialized fields, such as developments development studies or the politics of Aboriginality, disability, Islam, race and sexuality.