Everyday masculinities and extreme sport - Victoria Robinson

Rock climbing is one of today's most popular 'extreme sports.' Although many women are involved, the sport retains a particularly male image and culture. Everyday Masculinities and Extreme Sport presents the first in-depth study of rock climbing in the UK, analysing what it reveals about the contemporary construction and performance of masculinity through sport.One of the key concerns of the book is the relationship between everyday masculinity and the pursuit of the extraordinary through sport. Drawing on insights from sociology and gender studies, the book challenges traditional approaches to the analysis of sport.

Victoria Robinson is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sheffield. She has held posts at the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle. Her other books include Mundane Heterosexualities: From Theory to Practices, with J. Hockey and A. Meah, (Palgrave, 2007) and she has co-edited, with D. Richardson the third edition of the best selling text book Introducing Gender and Women's Studies, (Palgrave, 2008).

'Everyday Masculinities and Extreme Sport combines a deep understanding of the meaning of climbing for those who participate in the sport with a critical insight derived from recent debates dealing with men and masculinities. This is a book than can be read with profit by both those who know little about the sport and those who are enthusiastic participants.'David Morgan, Keele University