Diversity, Difference and Social Justice in Physical Education

Bonnie Pang is Lecturer at the University of Bath, United Kingdom, Adjunct Fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, Australia, and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow (2019-2020).Tony Rossi is Professor and Deputy Dean in the School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Australia. He is also the Discipline Lead for Sport, Health, and Exercise Science and author of Workplace Learning in Physical Education (2015).

"Both tacit and increasingly explicit acknowledgement of hegemonic White heterosexual patriarchy in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) is made in literature spanning 50 years, yet PETE practices at various levels of education remain slow to respond to this critical scholarship. In both the United Kingdom and Australia, there are fewer than 20 women Professors in PETE and far fewer Professors with non-White ancestry. Pang and Rossi’s book provides the theoretical resources to think differently about why the last half century of social justice research and critical work has failed to substantially diversify PETE. It is not a book of despair but a powerful exposé that can sustain critical scholars in PETE around the globe, showing how to intensify and amplify the voices and experiences, and support the careers, of hyper-diverse PE students into PETE."Dr Sue Whatman, President of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER), Senior Lecturer in Health, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, Griffith University, Australia."Pang and Rossi’s compelling and nuanced exploration of social justice, diversity and inclusion reminds us that many (trainee) teachers are often underprepared to enter increasingly diverse Physical Education Environments. In this engaging text, the authors bring a new perspective to the table, revealing the potential of the conceptual framework of trans-locality. Their enquiry into the experiences of higher education academics, university students and schoolteachers in Australia and the UK provides rich insights into how pedagogues perceive their own work in relation to social justice in PE. This focus along with the authors suggestions for transformation and future directions provides an essential contribution for those working in the area of PETE and critical pedagogy which will no doubt open up important conversations about what social justice and diversity mean in a trans-located world."Dr Emma Rich, Professor in Physical Activity and Health Pedagogy, University of Bath, UK"Pang and Rossi have compiled a comprehensive and astute investigation that extends the discussion of matters that are as timely now as ever. Readers will find an extensive data set and theoretically sound analysis underpinned by trans-locality that for example, gives voice to how university faculty and students have navigated their lives as teacher educators. The authors’ labours have resulted in a work that provides much needed insight into this area and also poses complex questions that will undoubtedly require further intellectual attention – in other words, quality scholarship."Dr Bryan McCullick, Professor in Health and Physical Education, University of Georgia, USA."In this alluring book, Pang and Rossi present a refreshing take on the role of space, place, and globalization to address diversity in physical education. They infuse the concept of trans-locality into previous conversations around social justice, diversity, and inclusion to explore the emplaced narratives of teachers, teacher educators, and teacher candidates. In the world Pang and Rossi encourage us to embark upon, diverse bodies and spaces come to matter in relation to each other. Any person engaging with this book will never think about their practices in the same (repetitive) way."Dr Dillon Landi, Lecturer in Education, University of Strathclyde, UK."This book is stimulating and innovative and provides an interdisciplinary theoretical analysis that highlight a collective understanding of social justice and physical education issues in race and ethnicity. It is a formidable text for those entering the field wishing to understand the trans-located world and the challenges we face in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) and PE."Dr Shrehan Lynch, Senior Lecturer in Secondary Education, University of East London, UK.

• 1. Introduction: Current Trends, Debates and Discussion in Physical Education Teacher Education. 2. Understanding Trans-locality, Diversity and Social Justice. 3. Mobilising Trans-local Cultural Capital in Physical Education in Schooling. 4. Repositioning the Others in Physical Education Teacher Education in a Trans-located World. 5. Critical Pedagogy and Wayfinding in Trans-local Learning in Physical Education Teacher Education. 6. Being and Becoming Critical Pedagogues: Habitus Transformation in Trans-local Learning. 7. Diversity Work Starts Within Ourselves. 8. Enduring Challenges and Possible Directions in a Trans-located World in Physical Education Teacher Education.