Sport & Peace: A Sociological Perspective

Over the past decade the social role of sport has received unprecedented attention, as global leaders ranging from politicians to high-profile celebrities have championed sport as a tool for promoting peace. In many areas, sport has successfully drawn attention to such worthy causes as conflict resolution, HIV prevention, environmental initiatives, and improved international relationships. Yet although sport can be a powerful tool for social good, it continues to reflect and reproduce social inequalities in ways commonly overlooked by those invested in the sport-for-peace movement. In this timely new analysis, Brian Wilson uses critical sociological theories to investigate the complex-and at times controversial-relationship between sport and peace.