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Convenor

Sarah Harding, Professor

Assistant Professor (Research) at Durham University

Sarah is currently an ESRC-funded postdoctoral fellow at Durham University; whose research focuses on exploring how gendered identities are constructed in, and through, PE and School Sport. Prior to completing her PhD, she attended Durham University for her undergraduate (Sport BA), postgraduate (Education MA) and PGCE (secondary PE). Following this, she worked as a secondary school PE teacher in the North East for four years, and these formative experiences have influenced her current and future research plans. Her PhD, titled ‘”Trapped”: Gender, Identities and PE’ used the sociological tools of Pierre Bourdieu to explore how young people construct, negotiate and reward their gendered identities and bodies within both PE and the wider school. Her current project is working to develop impact from her doctoral thesis, by working with PE teachers and headteachers to disseminate her findings, raise a critical consciousness about gender in PE, and develop a dialogue about how to improve the experiences of young people. She also contributes to teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses; ranging from sociology of sport modules to educational research methods and theory.