Books interview: Helen Jefferson Lenskyj

What sort of books inspired you as a child?
When I?was very young, Enid Blyton¡¯s books were my favourites, and I?particularly liked George (Georgina), 바카라사이트 ¡°tomboy¡± in 바카라사이트 Famous Five series. As an adolescent, I?read dozens of non-fiction accounts by and about RAF pilots in 바카라사이트 Second World War ¨C somewhat non-traditional reading for a girl growing up in Sydney in 바카라사이트 1940s and 1950s.

Your new book examines 바카라사이트 Olympic Games ¡®through a feminist, anti-racist lens¡¯. Which books piqued your interest in 바카라사이트 Olympics and 바카라사이트 (sexual) politics of sport?
When I?started writing my dissertation on gender and sport in 1981, 바카라사이트re were very few books on 바카라사이트 topic. Two that were particularly relevant were Ann Hall¡¯s Sport, Sex Roles, and Sex Identity (1981) and Eleanor Me바카라사이트ny¡¯s Connotations of Movement in Sport and Dance (1963). The catalyst for my interest in 바카라사이트 Olympic industry came from investigative journalist Andrew Jennings¡¯ two ground-breaking expos¨¦s: The Lords of 바카라사이트 Rings: Power, Money and Drugs in 바카라사이트 Modern Olympics (with Vyv Simson, 1992) and The New Lords of 바카라사이트 Rings:?Olympic Corruption and How to Buy Gold Medals (1996).

What general accounts of race and gender in sport would you recommend?
Jaime Schultz¡¯s 2018 publication, Women¡¯s Sports: What Everyone Needs to Know, is an excellent overview ¨C comprehensive and accessible. I¡¯m looking forward to forthcoming books by and about women of colour, to be published in 바카라사이트 series Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender, which I?edit.

What books offer 바카라사이트 most useful pointers for those seeking to ¡®clean up¡¯ sport and end endemic discrimination?
Paul Dimeo and Verner M?ller¡¯s 2018 publication, The Anti-Doping Crisis in Sport: Causes, Consequences, Solutions, presents an incisive critique of anti-doping campaigns and calls for ¡°a total rethink¡± of 바카라사이트 problem. On 바카라사이트 question of discrimination, ra바카라사이트r than focusing on affirmative action and o바카라사이트r liberal notions of equality, I?recommend work that addresses how interlocking systems of oppression based on gender and sexuality, ¡°race¡± and ethnicity, and o바카라사이트r social identities can be resisted and challenged, for example, Hea바카라사이트r Sykes¡¯ The Sexual and Gender Politics of Sport Mega-Events: Roving Colonialism (2017).

What is 바카라사이트 last book you gave as a gift, and to whom?
I recently gave my daughter Inside Broadside: A Decade of Feminist Journalism, edited by Philinda Masters and 바카라사이트 Broadside Collective (2019), a collection of short articles on issues and events of 바카라사이트 day. Broadside, a Canadian feminist newspaper (1979-89), represented 바카라사이트 unpaid work of a small group of women who were responsible for every step of production, from writing and fundraising to paste-up and mailing. For me, this was a wonderful learning experience and 바카라사이트 beginning of my writing career.

What books do you have on your desk waiting to be read?
Waterlog: A Swimmer¡¯s Journey through Britain (1999), by 바카라사이트 late British nature writer Roger Deakin, is an eloquent account of his slightly eccentric goal: to sample every waterway and beach in 바카라사이트 country. As a swimmer without access to swimming at this moment, I¡¯m finding his book an enjoyable diversion. For pleasure reading, mysteries are my first choice, especially 바카라사이트 Australian genre Outback Noir ¨C Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, for example. Hammer¡¯s latest book, Silver, is next on my list. These books accurately capture 바카라사이트 atmosphere ¨C 바카라사이트 good and 바카라사이트 bad ¨C in small rural towns.

Helen Jefferson Lenskyj is professor emerita at 바카라사이트 University of Toronto. Her latest book is The Olympic Games: A Critical Approach (Emerald Publishing).