ABSTRACT
In 2005 Michael Banton wrote a retrospective on fifty-five years of research in sociology (Banton, 2005). In particular his work focused on ethnic and racial studies. Widely regarded as one of the leading international sociologists, his reflections on his approaches to the sociology of ‘race’ and ethnic relations was published in the same year that I was challenging academics in the sociology of sport and leisure to engage in a more inclusive and critical exposition of racialised phenomena (Hylton, 2005). Some of the questions that I was asking included: (a) at what point will those in the field recognise that a narrow academic focus will leave them with charges of repetition and theoretical myopia; (b) do academics in the field recognise that even critical theories with a social justice focus can ignore ‘race’; and (c) are academics in the field willing to incorporate other marginalised ideas and voices to address these imbalances? In regards to the academy, my ire was focused on how sport and leisure studies, a necessarily multidisciplinary field, marginalised specific issues of ‘race’ and racism.
