ABSTRACT
In the context of physical cultural studies (PCS), Booth and Thorpe have pointed out that for participants in extreme sports there is no universal standard by which to objectively assess risks; participants are required to define and re-evaluate shifting perceptions of what they view as acceptable risk. Notions of a risk-averse society – where safety and the desire for predictability guide action – stand in contrast to the rise of voluntary risk-taking in both sport and recreational contexts. The politicization of risk, the connection of risk discourses with the process of globalization, the intersection of risk and gender – Laurendeau's 'gendered risk regimes' – and the rise of alternative/extreme/lifestyle sports celebrating the risky/risking body, provides fertile ground for the developing genre of PCS. The chapter illustrates how discourses of risk can be used to constrain young people and maintain hierarchical power structures while the counter narrative positions risk as a means of enablement – young people are capable and inspirational.
