Introduction

In gathering the contributions to Sport, Education and Social Policy: The State of the Social Sciences of Sport, we had two main objectives. The first was to survey some of the dominant themes that have occupied researchers of the social scientific aspects of sport. By inviting some of the most influential theorists from around the world to talk about the development and current context of their areas of expertise, we wanted to produce a unique document that looked simultaneously back, to the changing and evolving research programmes that continue to influence academic discourse, and forwards, emerging lines of enquiry and under-explored topics. In doing so, we hoped to communicate some sense of the excitement generated by the social sciences of sport, and to inspire new and emerging scholars to take up the challenges presented. Our second objective was to honour and celebrate the contribution of one particular scholar, Professor Margaret Talbot, who died during the production of this collection. As a researcher, Margaret made a unique and extraordinary contribution to a number of fields: physical education, gender studies, international policy development in sport, and others. As an administrator and policy-driver, herself, Margaret’s legacy is possibly even greater. She was a life-long advocate and activist for equity in sport and physical education, and fought continually to defend the statutory entitlement to quality physical education around the world. Among her countless roles, Margaret Talbot was elected as President of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) in 2009, and prior to this, she was Vice President. Margaret Talbot had been President of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women, Chief Executive of the Central Council of Physical Recreation and Chief Executive Association for Physical Education, both based in the United Kingdom. She was also Chair of the Education Committee of the International Paralympic Committee. So, Sport, Education and Social Policy should also stand as a ‘Festschrift’ for Margaret. Appropriately a German word, as Margaret’s last formal position was as head of the Berlin-based ICSSPE, Festschrift literally

means ‘celebratory volume’ and it is now a widely used term to describe a book honouring an exceptional scholar. The career of every contributor to this book has been touched in some way by Margaret’s work, mission and personality. It is a testament to her legacy that we were able to draw together so many world-class scholars in one volume. The title of this book was also inspired by Margaret Talbot. Three overarching themes were identified that address some of the central concerns of researchers and practitioners. These represent both some of the perennial themes in the social sciences of sport, and the three dominant topics of Margaret’s own work: equality (focusing particularly on gender and ethnicity), education (which considers physical education, in particular) and policy (especially, of course, sport policy). We have chosen not to divide the book into discrete sections as, predictably, the most interesting and intractable problems cut across simple boundaries. Nevertheless, these three themes offer, together, some unifying sense of interest and priorities. A number of chapters address issues of equality and gender. Kari Fasting’s chapter focuses on the need to break stereotypes as a means towards equality in sport. She discusses the relationship between gender, gender stereotyping and equality in sport. Tansin Benn, Gertrud Pfister and Haifaa Jawad examine the largely under-researched, but clearly highly topical area of the inclusion of Muslim girls and women in sport and physical education. This contribution can be situated in the fields of gender and culture as they permeate sport, education and health. Gender and equality are also the foci of Darlene Kluka and Anneliese Goslin’s chapter. Kluka and Goslin integrate a range of concepts, including women’s empowerment, gender mainstreaming, gender equality and gender equity, to articulate a new framework for understanding and influencing policy development to promote women’s quality of life through sport. Chantal Amade-Escot addresses the issues of gender in physical education by introducing French didactique research, an approach that has generally been overlooked by English-language scholars. Amade-Escot’s analysis offers fascinating insight into three interwoven topics at the heart of the co-construction of unequal learning: the teacher’s appraisal of student ability in the subject, the knowledge facets privileged by the teacher when teaching and the non-verbal dimension of classroom interactions. Two chapters consider issues of inclusion, although with very different perspectives. Gudrun Doll-Tepper surveys the evolving conceptions of integration and inclusion in education, physical education and sport. She focuses, in particular, on adapted physical activity for people with disabilities, but her analysis also touches on inclusion in a broader sense, for all individuals who are lacking equal access and participation, e.g. because of gender, socio-economic, religious and cultural backgrounds, sexual orientation and ethnicity. Kevin Hylton takes up the topic of ethnicity in his chapter. He offers a personal account of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in

relation to past and present issues in sport, leisure and society. Drawing on an extensive body of work he reflects upon his application of CRT and the necessary challenges that prevail if we are to ensure racial justice or even racial transformations become goals in the way we do business. Joseph Maguire’s chapter can be read as a theoretical centre-point for many of the other chapters. Maguire makes a compelling case for the urgent need for a social scientific perspective on sport and physical activity. A social scientific perspective is needed, he argues, not just as a complement to the natural sciences that continue to dominate in sport science, but as necessary dimension of an understanding of phenomena that are evident in global sport and physical cultures today. Jonas Burgheim, Karen Petry and Ben Weinberg turn specifically to sport policy. They explore how the European Union and the United Nations have contributed to advocating holistic policies and thereby to ‘walking the talk’. Their analysis points to the potential for instigating comprehensive sport policy approaches which relate to and are based on a sport governance system including all relevant stakeholders. Richard Bailey, Ed Cope, Dan Parnell and Matthew J. Reeves’ presentation of the highly influential ‘Human Capital Model’ (HCM) can be read as an empirical complement to the policy analysis of Burgheim, Petry and Weinberg. The HCM is, in part, an over-arching framework for understanding the relationships between sport and physical activity and different aspects of human development. It proposes that the different outcomes associated with physical activity can be framed as differential ‘capitals’ that represent investments in domain-specific assets. These investments, especially when made in childhood, can yield significant rewards, both at that time and for years to come. Discussions of the nature and pedagogy of ‘physical literacy’ have transformed physical education and sports coaching in recent years, although the concept has a much longer history. Margaret Whitehead and Patricia Maude are the scholars most responsible for its wide-scale acceptance, and their chapter charts the creation and development of the concept of physical literacy. Whitehead and Maude provide a first-hand account of the context in which the concept was formulated, significant milestones in the dissemination of the concept of physical literacy, the current challenges being addressed by its advocates. The final chapter, written by the philosopher Michael McNamee, reproduces a ‘classic’ paper that can be read as addressing similar themes to the chapters by Bailey and colleagues, and Whitehead and Maude, but taking a different perspective. McNamee offers some conceptual ‘housekeeping’ for those wishing to discuss the values and value of sport and other leisure activities. In doing so, he provides a framework in which different accounts of the value of leisure practices may be contested. Whether taken individually, or as a whole, these different contributions provide a unique introduction to many of the most pressing topics that

currently occupy social scientists of sport, and they are likely to occupy them for some time to come. Our intuition is that the greatest benefit will come from reading the book as a whole, as it is only then that the synergies and tensions between them will become properly apparent. But either way, we hope that this collection inspires, provokes and challenges fellow and future scholars. We also hope that this collection – this Festschrift – acts as a suitable testament to the lasting influence of Margaret Talbot. We, the editors, as well as all of the contributors to this volume have benefitted from her vision. Perhaps, in some small way, readers of this book will have some sense of her work, too. We asked one of Margaret’s colleagues and friends, Professor Victor Matsudo from Brazil, to write a personal account of his experiences with this extraordinary woman; this can be found immediately preceding this Introduction. Other statements can be found at the ICSSPE website (www. icsspe.org), and also at the website of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (www.iapesgw.org.uk).