ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with the concepts of disability, social class, 'race' and gender, sources of oppression and discrimination that can be found in Physical Education as elsewhere in the education system. It describes the socio-historical, political and ideological contexts in which teachers in the UK and the USA have had to work in recent years. The chapter traces the way in which the concept of equality has been contested and defined in the discourse of politicians in post-war Britain, and recently redefined by the New Right in a way which, the chapter argues, impairs the achievement of equality and equity in the education system. It takes the view that conventional and stereotypical categories and labels are social constructions which define a 'reality' which individuals and groups, because of their differential power and resources, are differently able to alter and define.
