Jim Cherrington

Sheffield Hallam University | SHU · Academy of Sport and Physical Activity

Through research that was conducted with mountain bike trail builders, this article explores the processes by which socio-natures or ‘emergent ecologies’ are formed through the assemblage of trail building, mountain bike riding and matter. In moving conversations about ‘Nature’ beyond essentialist readings and dualistic thinking, we consider how ec...

This article problematises heroic models of innovation which advocate the definitive, isolated and anthropocentric origins of the mountain bike. It argues that such heroic models represent a particular kind of myth in which technology, as manifest in the reconstructionist history of the Repack group, is said to represent the human ability to domest...

In recent years there have been calls for scholars working within sport and physical culture to recognise the (increasing) confluence of nature and culture. Situated within an emerging body of new materialist research, such accounts have shown how various activities are polluted by, fused to, and assembled with nonhuman entities. However, more work...

This chapter argues that mountain biking can serve to both mitigate the trauma associated with 'Nature's' destruction, whilst helping to imagine a range of 'post-natural' futures. Drawing on the recently translated works of Bernard Stiegler, it contends that the negentropic qualities of mountain bike culture comprise a performative response that en...

In the last decade there has been an upsurge in the popularity of electric mountain bikes. However, opinion is divided regarding the implications of this emerging technology. Critics warn of the dangers they pose to landscapes, habitats, and ecological diversity, whilst advocates highlight their potential in increasing the accessibility of the outd...

This book considers the ability of individuals and communities to maintain healthy relationships with their surroundings—before, during and after catastrophic events—through physical activity and sporting practices. Broad and ambitious in scope, this book uses sport and physical activity as a lens through which to examine our catastrophic societie...

In challenging orthodox notions of space, place, and identity, as well as examining how new ideas, communities and ways of living might emerge from the ruins of catastrophe, this Introduction Chapter outlines the importance of the collection. We introduce Mark Fisher’s weird and eerie distinctions, emphasising how both terms, when applied to catast...

In exploring the intra-active, relational and material connections between humans and non-humans, proponents of posthumanism advocate a questioning of the ‘human’ beyond its traditional anthropocentric conceptualization. By referring specifically to controversial developments in mHealth applications, this paper critically diverges from posthuman ac...

Electric mountain bikes combine user pedalling with electronic and motorised assistance to propel riders within off-road landscapes. Physically, this reduces the amount of effort required on behalf of the user, whilst allowing riders to cover longer distances in shorter amounts of time. This case study on electric mountain bikers in England analyse...

Drawing on interview data with 30 electric mountain biker users in England, this paper represents one of the first attempts to map the experiential, ecological and socio-cultural implications of electric mountain biking. Utilising Stiegler’s (2013) notion of the pharmakon, I suggest that the e-mountain bike’s role in the promotion of health and env...

Although communities can be distinct and defined, helping to locate and orientate a particular identity, they can also be expansive, neither beginning nor ending in any particular temporal moment. Here, our relation to community is one that embodies us in both physical but also ‘spectral’ forms (Morton 2017). They exist in our pasts, yet communitie...

Although communities can be distinct and defined, helping to locate and orientate a particular identity, they can also be expansive, neither beginning nor ending in any particular temporal moment. Here, our relation to community is one that embodies us in both physical but also ‘spectral’ forms (Morton 2017). They exist in our pasts, yet communitie...

Theoretical applications of time and temporality remain a key consideration for both climate scientists and the humanities. By way of extending this importance, we critically examine Timothy Morton’s proposed “ecological awareness” alongside Slavoj Žižek’s “parallax view”. In doing so, the article introduces a “past-present parallax” in order to co...

This article draws upon the work of Timothy Morton and Slavoj Žižek in order to critically examine how mountain bike trail builders orientated themselves within nature relations. Beginning with a discussion of the key ontological differences between Morton’s object-oriented ontology and Žižek’s blend of Hegelian- Lacanianism, we explore how Morton’...

Dirt is evoked to signify many important facets of mountain bike culture including its emergence, history and everyday forms of practice and affect. These significations are also drawn upon to frame the sport's (sub)cultural and counter-ideological affiliations. In this article we examine how both the practice of mountain biking and, specifically,...

Drawing on reflections from a collaborative autoethnography, this article argues that ultramarathon running is defined by a ‘dark’ ecological sensibility [Morton, Timothy. 2007. Ecology without Nature. London: Harvard University Press; Morton, Timothy. 2010. The Ecological Thought. London: Harvard University Press; Morton, Timothy. 2016. Dark Ecolo...

There are instances where, under the right circumstances, sport can be an extremely positive way to connect people from different backgrounds or to stimulate a range of senses that may be difficult to connect with in other contexts. But this isn't always the case. This chapter uses the sociological imagination as a tool for understanding the streng...

Addressing the need to provide a "live" forum for disseminating research conducted by scholars in sociology, cultural studies, history, leisure studies, and other disciplines in social science, Critical Conversations in Sport and Popular Culture (CCSPC) presents academics and students with the results of cutting-edge research in the field. The scop...

Prevailing narratives regarding the menopause sit within a medical paradigm which individualise and pathologise women's experiences. This ‘exploitation’ of the menopause by the medical profession has helped fuel cultural anxiety about ageing femininity and sexuality, with many women being sold a restitution narrative that encourages them to delay t...

In this chapter we explore the social and cultural significance of outdoor activities in Sheffield’s emerging municipal spaces, whilst addressing the political consequences that such analyses may have on the promotion of physical activity. Following a review of the literature, we advocate a move beyond economic narratives towards a more holistic an...

This chapter has demonstrated the complex, and often contradictory relationship between basketball the body and everyday life, and with it the difficulty of operationalising the concept of the everyday within sociological analyses of sport. Generally speaking, the reasons for this are twofold. First, the everyday is a subjective phenomenon that wil...

In recent years there has been a growing body of literature which focuses on the economic impact of outdoor environments (see Mackintosh and Comley, 2010;Gratton, 2013). Central to these commentaries has been an analysis of the financial rewards that can be accrued through participation in outdoor activities, and the long term benefits that such pa...

In the last half century sport and society have undergone major changes which have transformed the way we live our lives (Bauman, 2000). These new social configurations, it is alleged, are slowly detaching us from rational ways of thinking and alert us to some significant changes that have occurred throughout the latter half of the 20th century,inc...

Research in sport has tended to focus on ‘spectacular’ or ‘extra-ordinary’ experiences, at the expense of discussing how particular phenomena are embedded in everyday life. Drawing on ethnographic research with a university basketball team in the North of England, this article considers the meanings that amateur players attach to basketball and how...

Readers should also refer to the journal's website at http://www.informaworld.com/rqrs and check volume 2, issue 2 to view the accompanying video clips. This will appear as ‘Supplementary Content’ to this article.This paper examines video diaries as creative, visual methods and considers their value as a complementary and innovative method in quali...