Aboriginal peoples and sport in Canada : historical foundations and contemporary issues

Summary: The study of sport within the context of Aboriginal society and culture in Canada offers valuable insight into the impact of sport on a number of wider issues of concern to Aboriginal peoples, both within and outside of their communities. Aboriginal Peoples and Sport in Canada uses sport as a lens through which to examine issues such as individual and community health, gender and race relations, culture and colonialism, and self-determination and agency. In this groundbreaking volume, leading scholars offer a multidisciplinary perspective on issues such as the clashing cultural imperatives that discourage Aboriginal athletes from participating at the national level; whether their needs are well served by the cultural values of sports psychology; and how unequal power relations influence the ability of different groups of Aboriginal people to implement their own visions for sport. These diverse analyses illuminate how Aboriginal people employ sport as a venue through which to assert their cultural identities and find a positive space for themselves and upcoming generations in contemporary Canadian society.