ABSTRACT

Social researchers are tasked with investigating and shedding light on phenomena that they have a sound grasp of; conceptual issues around ‘race’, racism and sport however are often elusive, ambiguous and requiring consistent clarification. Researching ‘race’ is fraught with a plethora of conceptual and theoretical problematics as raised in the previous two chapters. For example, can research be conducted that is divorced from its political context? How do we avoid being reductionist or universalistic or simplistic? And how are lived experiences valued over mediated accounts (cf. Gunaratnam 2003)? Bulmer and Solomos (2004), like Twine and Warren (2000) and Seidman (2004), among others, raise questions about what should be on an agenda for researchers of ‘race’ and racism. Ontologies, epistemologies, methodologies and ethical questions such as insider/outsider status, diversity and racisms, whiteness and the impact of researcher identities on the research process have been the source of many debates. Although there might be some consensus about the need for social transformations there are still tensions around the process of getting there.