Ramón Spaaij
Manchester Metropolitan University
Department of Sociology, Institute of Sport & Manchester Centre for Youth Studies
Manchester
United Kingdom
Lecture Theatre 7
Thursday, February 29 · 5 – 6:30pm GMT
Abstract
Reflecting wider debates on public sociology and sociology in action, sociologists of sport have been called ‘off the bench’ to serve as active contributors to social change. Sustained research-practice partnerships, in which scholars work closely with stakeholders who hold vital practical knowledge and/or lived experience, can enable pathways for change in ways that would not have been possible for academics alone. In this seminar, Ramón will consider how scholars can serve as co-creators of, and actors in, social change in sport. He will draw on his experiences and empirical evidence from two initiatives that he co-leads in Australia.
The first initiative, an action research programme called Change Makers, aims to co-produce durable solutions to issues of inequity, discrimination, and exclusion in community sport. Change Makers brings together local coalitions of sports club leaders and volunteers, change facilitators, researchers, and community partners, in a concerted effort to promote equitable social inclusion in community sports clubs. The program has trained, mentored, and supported more than 150 club leaders and volunteers across 90 clubs and 12 different sports over three years to critically assess their club climates and to design, implement, and evaluate strategies that address structural and cultural barriers to participation. Ramón will reflect on the changes that Change Makers has affected within the clubs, organisations, and communities it serves, as well as on factors that have supported and constrained these changes.
The second initiative, which emerged as a community of practice from a three-year Australian Research Council project, is the establishment of the Diversity and Inclusion in Sport Alliance (DISA), the first and only national alliance of professionals seeking to create safe and inclusive sporting communities. Ramón will trace the journey that he and fellow sociologist Professor Ruth Jeanes have been on with DISA, which has grown steadily in reach and impact over the past six years and continues to be grounded in sociological knowledge.
Bio
Ramón Spaaij
Dr Ramón Spaaij investigates complex social problems finding solutions that create and sustain thriving communities as Professor of Sociology at Victoria University in Australia. He explores how conflicts and inequities that threaten social cohesion can be transformed toward more harmonious community relationships. Ramón partners with organisations global to local, to develop capacity-building resources. His students build a sociological toolkit so they can better apply advanced qualitative and mixed methodologies, concepts, and theories to their future professions. He holds secondary academic appointments at Utrecht University and Stellenbosch University. Ramón Spaaij was the endowed Professorial Chair in Sociology of Sport at the University of Amsterdam. He has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Amsterdam and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Leiden University. Ramón Spaaij is the author of 11 monographs and 8 edited books. Visit his website.
Ramón Spaaij 