Introduction
Historically and presently, sport has carried a significant relationship with African-Americans. The structure and grandeur of sports in the U.S. systemically impacts the construction of African Americans identity. For many Blacks, sports are a way of life, a spaceship out of the pitfalls of poverty, a platform for cultural heroes, and/or a display of African aesthetics. For others, it is a neo-colonial institution that perpetuates self-destruction. The continuous growth and transformation of sports have created the constant appeal for new and updated scholarship. To meet the growing demand for sports scholarship that focuses on African Americans, we are proud to issue this call for abstracts for our edited book. A volume such as this will create useful dialogue in classrooms and be a critical resource for researchers.
Objective
This edited book will be a collection of fresh and critical essays that identify and examine the various relationships between sports and African Americans. We seek both theoretical and empirical submissions to our project. The scope of this volume is reasonably broad. Authors are welcome to write about any individual, period, event, or location. While the editors are trained in African American Studies, this will be an interdisciplinary text that carries a multitude of perspectives including social, cultural, historical, economic, legal, and structural.
Recommended Topics
The scope of this book includes but is not limited to the following topics:
- Sports in the African-American community
- The role of hip hop in sports
- College athletics
- Sports activism
- Contributions of Black female athletes
- African-American athletic identity
- African-American sports leagues
- Generational trends in sports
- Sports in the diaspora
- Olympics and world competitions
- LGBTQ athletes
- Commercialization of athletes
- Developing athletes
- The struggles for African-American coaches
Submission Procedure
Abstract submissions can be submitted to Dr. Drew D. Brown at dbrown45@uh.edu no later than May 15, 2016. All abstracts are limited to 250 words and must include an APA style cover-page.
Important Dates
The following timeline is anticipated:
Abstract Submission Deadline: May 15, 2016
Proposal Acceptance/Rejection Notification: June 15, 2016
Final Chapter Submission Deadline: Aug 15, 2016
Review Results to Chapter Authors: Sep 15, 2016
Revised Chapter Submission: Oct 30, 2016
Inquiries
Inquiries should go to:
Drew D. Brown, Ph.D.
University of Houston
African American Studies
713-743-0507
dbrown45@uh.edu
