ABSTRACT
In this chapter we leave allegorical utopian landscapes as we return to answering more fully the questions posed by Dominic Malcolm, as related in Chapter 1. That is: what does sociology bring to the SDP (Sport, Development and Peace) table and what branches and styles of the sociological canon are best deployed when designing, delivering and evaluating sport-based peace-building work? In answering these questions we first turn our considerations to the epistemological foundations or deep theoretical structures that have underpinned the roll-out and evolution of the F4P model which will be presented and interrogated fully in the book’s final chapter: here we reintroduce the influential critical sociology of Wright Mills, reflecting on the themes that most informed his own sociological imagination, paying particular attention to the influence of pragmatism on his thinking, and showing how we have used a critical version of his understanding. We show too how, alongside our commitment to the mobilisation of a critical sociological imagination, we use the closely related paradigm of left realism to inform our own interpretation of how best to operate in the SDP theatre. We also introduce concerns and arguments concerning the notion of fair play as well as addressing debates concerned with setting the moral compass for SDP work in the direction of enhancement of human rights and social justice. Finally we present summaries of research and arguments drawn from the fields of Peace Studies and Conflict Studies, critically evaluating selected peace-building typologies that emanate from this literature and have helped us in our task to develop the model presented in Chapter 7. The analogy of the jigsaw puzzle as a metaphor is also used to aid understanding of how complex, multi-faceted and interconnected the processes of sport-based peace-building are in the real world.
