Dear all,
Last week the following items were published on idrottsforum.org (see below; language and publication dates, YYMMDD, in brackets). Click on the red headings to go to content. Utilize the Google Translate service to turn Scandinavian language pages into (some sort of) English.
Have a great week,
Kjell Eriksson
Editor
Book Reviews
A Nation of Family and Friends? Sport and the Leisure Cultures of British Asian Girls and Women, by Aarti Ratna
In A Nation of Family and Friends? Sport and the Leisure Cultures of British Asian Girls and Women (Rutgers University Press), sociologist Aarti Ratna examines the complex and dynamic relationships between South Asian women and sporting and leisure cultures. In her review, Sepandarmaz Mashreghi offers a theoretically knowledgeable and insightful introduction to Ratna’s book. She is by no means uncritical, but the general impression emerging from her review is one of great appreciation for Ratna’s rich and thought-provoking writing. (Review in English, published 250311.)
World of Sport: Transnational and Connected Histories, by Matthew Taylor
Historian Matthew Taylor’s new book World of Sport: Transnational and Connected Histories (Routledge) examines the development of modern sport from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1960s in the light of transnational approaches to history. Historian Hans Bolling is our reviewer, and after introducing us to transnational figure skating legend Jackson Haines, he applies himself to the book with a slightly critical stance, expressing doubts about the historiographical gains of Taylor’s transnational application, while still being impressed by the author’s scholarship – “sports history at its best.” (Review in English, published 250312.)
Healthism and professional identity: Group fitness instructors navigating health discourses, by Karin Andersson
Karin Andersson’s mixed methods dissertation Healthism and professional identity: Group fitness instructors navigating health discourses (Malmö University Press) employs a survey, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions to investigate the health consciousness of Les Mills International (LMI) group fitness instructors. Frida Austmo Wågan’s review expresses but a few objections to Andersson’s well written thesis and its essential insights into the field of health, fitness and physical activity. (Review in English, published 250313.)
New Blog Post
Cheating in Norway? No way!, by Erkki Vettenniemi
What’s the ultimate use of scientific endeavor? I mean, can serious, hard-working and, above all, truth-loving scientists still expect their findings to be accepted outside the scholarly bubble? My faith in the purpose of (sports) science took a fatal blow the other day. As you may or may not have noted, a “cheating scandal” erupted in the wake of the Nordic World Ski Championships held in … well, never mind the location. What matters (strictly speaking, what shouldn’t matter) is that two athletes were disqualified when it emerged that their jump suits had been modified with somewhat excessive zeal. Whether the athletes knew about the extra sewing… (Published in English 250311.)
New Issues of Scholarly Journals
(We’re currently reviewing this service, since it’s a rather time-consuming undertaking. In the meanwhile we’re presenting some of the journals in line with the Forum’s core mission.)
- Managing Sport and Leisure, Volume 30, 2025, Issue 1 (250312)
- Managing Sport and Leisure, Volume 28, 2023, Issue 6 (250313)
News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)
- Call for Papers | “Sport, Media, and Migration: A Cross-Cultural Perspective”, Special Issue of Communication & Sport | Call ends September 1, 2025 (250310)
- Vacancy | PhD position in the Philosophy of Sport at the Department of Sport and Social Sciences, Norwegian School of Sports and Sciences | Apply by April 28, 2025 (250310)
- Call for Chapter Proposals | Handbook of Global Sport Activism, to be published by Edward Elgar Publishing | Call ends June 13, 2025 (250311)
- Call for Papers | Global Sport Business Journal (Volume 10, 2025 Edition) (250311)
- Call for Papers | Sport: Beyond Definitions, Second International Conference of the International Network of Sport Anthropology (INSA) | KU Leuven, Belgium, June 5–6, 2025. Call ends March 19, 2025 (250312)
