‘This series is a must read for anyone studying gender in sport.’
Sarah Teetzel, University of Manitoba
This series explores the intersection of sport, women, and gender, challenging binary thinking and embracing the full gender spectrum. Covering recreation to elite sport, the series takes an interdisciplinary approach, addressing social, cultural, and political issues, advocating for inclusive and diverse perspectives.
Founded by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto, Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender is dedicated to advancing research on women and gender in sport, challenging traditional binary classifications and embracing the full gender spectrum.
In sport contexts, gender remains a particularly complex and controversial issue, as seen in debates surrounding transgender athletes, female athletes with hyperandrogenism, and broader conversations about inclusion and fairness. This series provides a critical platform for scholarship that interrogates these issues while promoting diverse and inclusive perspectives.
The concept of sport is interpreted broadly, encompassing everything from physical recreation to high-performance and professional competition. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the series engages with sociology, history, philosophy, and other fields to examine both contemporary and historical issues related to sport and gender. Recognizing that discussions on gender and sport have significant political and advocacy implications, this series also highlights the importance of learning from history to inform present and future debates.
A key focus of the series is intersectionality, encouraging contributors to explore how multiple aspects of identity—including gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, social class, and ability—interact to shape sporting experiences. It seeks to amplify voices and perspectives that have often been overlooked, particularly those of Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ, working-class, and disabled individuals.
This series fills a crucial gap in academic publishing by offering a dedicated space for sport and gender scholarship. While previous work on women and gender in sport has emerged within broader sport or gender studies series, this collection aims to provide a more focused and sustained engagement with these critical issues. By welcoming contributions from both early-career and established researchers, Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender fosters a rich and dynamic dialogue that pushes the boundaries of sport research and contributes to ongoing efforts for equity, inclusion, and social justice in sport.
Click here to access previously published books in this series.
Listen!
A podcast with the series’ founding editor, Helen Lenskyj in conversation with the current series editor, Professor Toby Miller, is now available here: https://culturalstudies.podbean.com/e/helen-jefferson-lenskyj-on-gender-activism-the-olympics-indigenous-culture-and-trans-justice/
