Contesting ‘Race’ and Sport: Shaming the Colour Line

Kevin Hylton

Mar 2018 · Routledge

About this ebook

In the decade since Kevin Hylton’s seminal book ‘Race’ and Sport: Critical Race Theory was published, racialised issues have remained at the forefront of sport and leisure studies. In this important new book, Hylton draws on original research in contemporary contexts, from sport coaching to cyberspace, to show once again that Critical Race Theory is an insightful and productive tool for interrogating problematic social phenomena.

Inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’ statement that "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour line", this book sheds a critical light on the way sport perpetuates racism, while identifying opportunities to challenge its insidious presence. Exploring and explaining the ways in which notions of ‘race’ are expressed and contested at individual, institutional and societal levels, it addresses key topics such as whiteness, diversity, colourblindness, unconscious bias, identity, leadership, humour and discourse to investigate how language can be used as a device for resistance against racism in sport.

Contesting ‘Race’ and Sport: Shaming the Colour Line is vital reading for all sport studies students, academics and those with an interest in race, ethnicity and society.

Chapter 7 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

About the author

Kevin Hylton is Head of the Research Centre for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Professor of Equality and Diversity in Sport, Leisure and Education in the Carnegie Research Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure at Leeds Beckett University, UK. Kevin has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and books, including ‘Race’ and Sport: Critical Race Theory (2009); Atlantic Crossings: International Dialogues on Critical Race Theory (2011); and Sport Development: Policy, Process and Practice (2001, 2008, 2013). Kevin’s research interests focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in sport, leisure and education. Kevin sits on the Editorial Board of the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, the Journal of Global Sport Management and is Co-editor of the book series Routledge Critical Perspectives on Equality and Social Justice in Sport and Leisure. Kevin is Patron of the Equality Challenge Unit