SASS Staff

Dr Simon Darnell

Contact Dr Simon Darnell

Biography

Simon joined the school in September 2011 after completing a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of International Development Studies at Dalhousie University, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

He is currently conducting research in three areas:

The first is a three-year SSHRC funded study (with Robert Huish and David Black, Dalhousie University) examining Cuban sport policy in relation to issues of international development and south-south solidarity.

The second is a theoretical and empirical analysis of the relationship between sport and various conceptions of global citizenship, particularly as constituted by international and supranational organizations, and the implications thereof for sport, politics, identity and subjectivity.

The third is an exploration of the relationship between sport and social movements, particularly the role of athletes as political activists.

Simon welcomes inquiries from potential PhD students interested in these research topics.  

Research Projects

1. Cuban sport policy and south-south solidarity;
2. International development issues and sports mega-events
3. Athletes and political activism
4. Sport, development and global citizenship
5. Critical studies of ‘Sport for Development and Peace’

Publications

Books: authored

• Darnell, Simon (2012). Sport for Development and Peace: A Critical Sociology. Bloomsbury Academic.

Books: edited

• Joseph, J., Darnell, S.C. & Nakamura, Y. (2012). Race and Sport in Canada: Intersecting Inequalities. Canadian Scholars Press.

Books: sections

• Valentine, J. & Darnell, S.C. (2012). Football, Race and 'Tolerance': Black Football Players in 20th Century Canada. In Race and Sport in Canada: Intersecting Inequalities. Joseph, J., Darnell, S.C. & Nakamura, Y. Canadian Scholars Press.
• Darnell, S.C. (2012). Managing Whiteness in 'Sport for Development and Peace' Internships". In Race and Sport in Canada: Intersecting Inequalities. Joseph, J., Darnell, S.C. & Nakamura, Y. Canadian Scholars Press.

Journal papers: academic

• Huish, R., Carter, T. & Darnell, S.C. (2013). The (Soft) Power of Sport: The Comprehensive and Contradictory Strategies of Cuba’s Sport-based Internationalism. International Journal of Cuban Studies 5(1): 26-40.
• Millington, R. & Darnell, S.C. (2012). Constructing and Contesting the Olympics Online: The Internet, Rio 2016 and the Politics of Brazilian Development. International Review for the Sociology of Sports
• Darnell, S.C. & Hayhurst, L. (2012). Hegemony, postcolonialism and Sport for Development: a response to Lindsey and Grattan. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 4(1): 111-124.
• Darnell, S.C. (2012). Olympism in Action, Olympic Hosting and the Politics of 'Sport for Development and Peace': Investigating the Development Discourses of Rio 2016. Sport in Society 15(6): 869-887.
• Darnell, S.C. (2012). Paying the Price for Speaking Out: Athletes, Politics and Social Change. International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education Special Bulletin 63.
• Peacock, B. & Darnell, S.C. (2012). Political Celebrity and the Olympic Movement: Exploring the Charismatic Authority of IOC Presidents. Celebrity Studies
• Darnell, Simon C. (2011). Identity and Learning in International Volunteerism: ‘Sport for Development and Peace’ Internships. Development in Practice 21(7): 974-986.
• Darnell, S.C. & Black, D. (2011). Introduction: Mainstreaming Sport into Development Studies. Third World Quarterly 32(3): 367-378.
• Huish, R. & Darnell, S.C. (2011). Solidarity, Counter-Hegemony and Development: Exploring new dimensions of Cuba's sport-based internationalism. Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 36(71): 139-164.
• Darnell, S.C. & Hayhurst, L. (2011). Sport for Decolonization: Exploring a New Praxis of Sport for Development. Progress in Developent Studies 11(3): 183-196.
• Darnell, S.C. (2011). Sport, Education and Conflict: Responses, Cautions and Questions. Conflict and Education 1(1).
• Darnell, S.C. (2010). Power, Politics and ‘Sport for Development and Peace’ Investigating the Utility of Sport for International Development. Sociology of Sport Journal 27(1): 54-75.
• Darnell, S.C. (2010). Sport, Race and Bio-politics: Encounters with Difference in 'Sport for Development and Peace' Internships. Journal of Sport and Social Issues 34(4): 396-417.

Journal papers: online

• Darnell, S.C. (2012). Global Citizenship and the Ethical Challenges of 'Sport for Development and Peace'. Journal of Global Citizenship and Equity Education 2(1): 4.

Research Interests

• International development and ‘Sport for Development and Peace’
• Socio-cultural and political analyses of sport and physical activity
• Critical development studies and ‘Global Citizenship’
• Critical race and post-colonial studies
• Social Movements and political activism
• Media, internet and communications
• Celebrity and consumer culture
• Sport policy studies

Research Groups

• Sport, Health and Policy