The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Culture

Michael D. Giardina, Michele K. Donnelly, Devra J. Waldman

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781529628555
• eBook ISBN: 9781036202354
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Research & Methodology
• Index: Social Sciences

The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport & Physical Culture is a pivotal resource that marks the next evolutionary step in the field of qualitative research within sport and physical culture. Building on decades of methodological advancements and scholarly contributions, this handbook addresses the dynamic and expanding nature of the field. It brings together a diverse group of contributors from over a dozen countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom, showcasing the international growth and vibrancy of qualitative research in this domain.

Contributors come from a wide array of disciplinary backgrounds, such as anthropology, education, health sciences, human movement and nutrition sciences, journalism and communication, kinesiology, public health, sociology, sport and exercise psychology, sport management, and women's, gender, and sexuality studies. They explore a range of traditional and emerging topics and methodologies, from feminist inquiry and Indigenous methodologies to new materialism and political ecologies, from interviewing and ethnography to arts-based methods and participatory research, and from qualitative research developments in Asia and the Middle East to studies with fan communities and Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Organized into five parts, the handbook begins with the politics of inquiry, emphasizing the inescapable political dimensions of qualitative research including questions of reflexivity, positionality, grant funding, and co-production. It then delves into philosophies of inquiry, practices of inquiry, and sites of inquiry, and concludes with reflections and future directions. Chapters in the handbook collectively present a review of the past, a statement on the present, and a vision for the future of qualitative research in sport and physical culture.

The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport & Physical Culture is an essential resource for scholars, practitioners, and students seeking to engage with the latest developments and debates in qualitative research. It provides a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the field, equipping readers to navigate and contribute to the evolving landscape of sport and physical culture research.

Part I: The Politics of Inquiry
Part II: Philosophies of Inquiry
Part III: Practices of Inquiry
Part IV: Sites of Inquiry
Part V: Conclusions

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Notes on Editors and Contributors
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Locating the Field: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Culture
• Part I Politics of Inquiry
• 2 Reflexivity in Sport and Physical Culture: An Ethics of Care
• 3 Positionality in Sport and Physical Culture: Methodological Silences
• 4 Qualitative Research, Scholarly “Performance,” and the Rationalization of Inquiry in Sport and Physical Culture
• 5 Funded Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Culture: A Conversation Between a Practitioner and an Academician
• 6 Research Co-production in Sport and Physical Culture: What Is Co-Production, Why Do It, and How Might It Be Practiced, Evaluated, and Move Forward?
• Acknowledgements
• 7 Qualitative Evidence, ‘Science’ and the Development of Sport Policy
• 8 Time, Temporality, and “Slow” Research in Sport and Physical Culture
• Part II Philosophies of Inquiry
• 9 Feminist Inquiry in Sport and Physical Culture: Tensions Between Feminist Qualitative Research and Doing Public Sociology in a Positivist World
• 10 Black Feminism and Intersectionality in Sport and Physical Culture
• 11 Critical Race Theory in Sport and Physical Culture
• 12 Queer and Trans* Inquiry in Sport and Physical Culture1
• 13 Physical Cultural Studies: Toward a Meaningful and Generative Unity-in-Difference
• 14 Critical Disability Studies in Sport and Physical Culture
• 15 Indigenous Methodologies in Sport and Physical Culture
• 16 New Materialism in Sport and Physical Culture
• 17 Political Ecologies of Sport and Physical Culture
• 18 International Development and Global Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Culture: Biopolitics, Postcolonialism, and Methods in the Field
• Part III Practices of Inquiry
• 19 Interviewing in Sport and Physical Culture
• 20 Critical Ethnography in Sport and Physical Culture
• 21 Autoethnography in Sport and Physical Cultures
• 22 Arts-Based Methods in Sport and Physical Culture: Comics, Zines, Poetry, and Sculpture
• 23 Audio-Visual Inquiry in Sport and Physical Culture
• 24 Creative Nonfiction in Sport and Physical Culture: Telling Stories and Connecting With Audiences
• 25 Feminist Media Studies in Sport and Physical Culture
• 26 Participatory Research in Sport and Physical Culture: An Orientation to Inquiry
• Part IV Sites of Inquiry
• 27 Community-Based Research in Sport and Physical Culture: Relationships and Resistance in the Neoliberal City
• 28 Conducting Qualitative Research With Olympic and Paralympic Athletes and Staff
• 29 Researching Gender Inclusion in Sport Organizations
• 30 Digital Ethnography in Sport and Physical Culture
• 31 Qualitative Research for Climate Justice in Sport and Physical Culture
• 32 Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Culture in China
• 33 Qualitative Research on Sport and Physical Culture Within Muslim Contexts and Communities
• 34 Qualitative Research With Fan Communities in Sport and Physical Culture
• 35 Qualitative Research With Criminalized Populations: Access, Ethics and the Use of Knowledge for Social Change
• Part V Conclusions
• 36 Critically Proactive Research Through Space and Time: A Conversation Between Father and Son
• 37 The Future Is Unwritten: New Directions for Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Culture
• Index