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HPE: Pedagogy, Feminism, Sexualities and Queer Theory

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Abstract

This chapter explores feminist interactions with physical education (HPE) in terms of the development and employment of queer theory, and links between associated research about sexualities and pedagogy in the field of HPE. I address some of the related fields dominating or marginalized in HPE research; I identify potential shifts in research and pose questions to imagine what a queer pedagogy of movement or physical culture might look. For instance, what would it mean for HPE and related research to take up queer worlding? Specifically, I highlight the work that is (still) necessary to recognize and challenge heterosexism, heteronormativity, misogyny, sexual violence and violence of identity-imposing limits to what or who physically educated individuals may be or become?

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Notes

  1. 1.

    GLBT, LGBT , LGBTI and variations on these are acronyms built to identify non-heterosexual normativities including L = lesbian , G = gay, B = bisexual, I = intersex, T = transgender , Q = queer, Q = questioning, A = asexual, and the list remains open hence the … I’ve used LGBTIQQI … to playfully and simply (re)present the hierarchy, power , and (non)sense of identity and language that many before me already have.

  2. 2.

    There is ongoing evidence that this is still the “norm” in many areas of the world (see for example lisahunter, 2006a; Hardman & Marshall, 2000, and some of the recent papers such as Gerdin, 2015; Hill, 2015).

  3. 3.

    Queer worlding, a concept introduced by Haraway (2008) and developed by Taylor and Blaise (2014), refers to the blurring of boundaries between categories such as nature and culture, and queering what counts as categories through processes of naturalization and normalization. Hybrid reconfigurations are seen to challenge categories and generate new possibilities that allow us to reconstitute worlds. This process aims to go beyond deconstruction of binaries and naturalness of categories such as “female” for instance, and consider entanglements with the non-human world. Performing the category of “surfer” for example, is constituted by an entanglement of visible sex characteristics, surfwear, surfboard and a wave, yet is largely legitimized as surfer (naturally male) and female surfer without much notice given to the surfboard and wave, although there is usually some attention to surfwear. Current categories affect a person’s ability to access waves and, inter-relatedly, to be positioned as competent.

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  1. Independent Scholar, Hamilton, New Zealand

    lisahunter

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  1. Brunel University, London, United Kingdom

    Louise Mansfield

  2. Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom

    Jayne Caudwell

  3. University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Belinda Wheaton

  4. Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Beccy Watson

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lisahunter (2018). HPE: Pedagogy, Feminism, Sexualities and Queer Theory. In: Mansfield, L., Caudwell, J., Wheaton, B., Watson, B. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Feminism and Sport, Leisure and Physical Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53318-0_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53318-0_27

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