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1st Global Symposium (2017)

1st Global Symposium
Sport: Probing the Boundaries

Inaugural Meeting of The International Association for the Interdisciplinary Study of Sport

Saturday 2nd December 2017 – Sunday 3rd December 2017
Vienna, Austria

Modern sport is an inherently interdisciplinary activity.  As a social phenomenon sport “intersects with nearly everyone’s life in some manner, as participant, observer, fan, critic, parent, or consumer” (Chatziefstathiou & Talentino, 2015).  Sport therefore functions as ‘a key space for the construction of identity, belonging and community, a place where meaning-making is shaped and embedded.’ (Howley & Dun, 2016).

In addition to personal interest, sport has significant political, economic, and social impacts – both beneficial and harmful – that lead to critical questions about the role sport plays in our daily lives, who it benefits, the equity of sport at both recreational and elite levels, its impact on social development, and the role of business – within local and global contexts – to name just a few.  These questions, and the very relevant implications they have for policymakers at the international, national, and municipal levels in all countries cannot be effectively addressed through a single critical lens.  The study of sport therefore demands interdisciplinary attention.

The symposium will also be a launch event for the inaugural meeting of The International Association for the Interdisciplinary Study of Sport, an organization that aims to establish a global network of interdisciplinary sport scholars and practitioners.

This symposium aims to bring together a community of scholars and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines and industries – sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, history, politics, urban studies, geography, psychology, sport science, and sports management – who are interested in exploring the significance and meaning of sport within modern societies and who would like to make a contribution to an inter-disciplinary understanding of sport in the twenty first century.

Call for Papers, Presentations and Participation
The call for abstracts includes a wide range of categories and because of the interdisciplinary focus is not limited to the list below:

  • Sport and social identity
  • Ontology of sport
  • Ethics and sport
  • Commerce and sport
  • Sport and space
  • Sport and popular culture
  • Sport and fandom/celebrity cultures
  • Commerce and sport
  • Mega-events and sport
  • Politics and sport
  • History and modern sport
  • Issues in sport science

In addition, the symposium schedule includes workshop sessions focusing on collaborative research opportunities and channels for publication, including a proposed academic journal.