Professor Kath Woodward
Profile summary
- Visiting Informal Academic
- Emeritus Professor
- Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
- School of Social Sciences & Global Studies
- Sociology
- kath.woodward
Professional biography
Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
Research interests
My research focuses on feminist theory and politics, using critical social crititiques of embodiment and psychosocial approaches to sexed bodies and enfleshed selves, for example within the field of sport, especially boxing. Recent work has engaged with the contradictons of binary logic in classificatory systems. Transformation and transitions include those over time and temporality is a primary concern in my work. My book SportingTimes, written during the 2012 London Olympics, formed the basis for the Olympic Museum exhibition, Chasing Time, 2014-15. More recent work on the phenomenon of 'being in the zone', based on an AHRC grant with Prof Tim Jordan at Sussex, has led to other work on bodies in time and the social and political dimensions of the zone. I have published widely in the interdisciplinary and the forthcoming Social Sciences Social Sciences: The Big Issues, Routledge, 4th edition 2020, develops critical approaches to contemposrary issues of inequality. The Sociology of gender and feminist theories and practices underpins most of my research which aims to explore the politics and inequalities of sex gender and experience.Relationality and crossing boundaries is central to my research, whether temporal, spatial or between conventional categories, including gender. My most recent book, with Dr Sophie Woodward, Birth and Death: Experience, Ethics and Politics, explores the productive analysis of interconnections between birth and death. I am chief editor of the online open access Frontiers journal, Gender Sex and Sexuality, which welcomes submissions from interdisciplinary scholars in underrepresented constituencies.
Woodward, K. (2020 forthcoming) Social Sciences: the Big Issues, (4th edition) London Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2019) Autoethnography, in Costley, C and Fulton, J. (eds) Methodologies for Practice Research: Approaches for Professional Doctorates, London, Sage.
Woodward, K. and Woodward, S. (2019) Birth and Death. Experience, Ethics, Politics, London, Routledge.
Jordan, T., McClure, B. and Woodward, K. (2017) (eds) Culture, Identity and Performativity. Being in the Zone, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2017) Moving not staying Still in Time to the Zone, in Jordan et al (2017) pp160-173.
Woodward, K. (2017) Women's Time? Time and Temporality in Women's Football, Sport and Society, 20 (5-6) pp689-700.
Woodward, K. (2017) Lived actualities and cultural experiences and social worlds: representing David Bowie, Continuum, Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 31(40) pp499-508.
Woodward, K. (2015) The Politics of In/Visibility, London, Palgrave MacMillan Woodward, K. (2015) Psychosocial Studies: An Introduction, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2014) Globalizing Boxing, London, Bloomsbury.
Harvey, P. Casella, E Evans, G. Knox, H., McLean, C. Silva, E., Thoburn, N. and Woodward, K (2013) (eds) Objects and Materials: A Routledge Companion, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2012) Sex Power and the Games, Basingstoke, Palgrave.
Horne,J.,Tomlinson,A.,Whannel, G. and Woodward,K. (2012) Understanding Sport, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. and Woodward, S. (2009) Why Feminism Matters: Lost and Found, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Woodward, K. (2009) Embodied Sporting Practices. Regulating and Regulatory Bodies Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Woodward, K. (2009) ‘Hanging Out and Hanging About: Insider/outsider research in the sport of boxing pp536-560 Ethnography, Physical Culture, Vol.9 4.
Woodward, K. (2009) ‘Bodies on the Margins: regulating bodies, regulatory bodies’, Journal of Leisure Studies pp143-57.
Woodward, K, Goldblatt, D. and Wyllie,J. (2008) 'British Fair Play'.
Woodward, K, (2007) ‘Gendered Bodies; Gendered Lives’, in Diane Richardson and Victoria Robinson (eds.), Introducing Gender Studies, London, Palgrave.
Woodward, K, (2007) ‘Real Men? Boxing and Masculinity’, Fighting Back. Jewish and Black Boxers in Britain Michael Berkowitz and Ruti Ungar (eds), London, UCL.
Woodward, K. (2007) ‘New Footballing Identities?’ Cultural Studies, Special Edition, Vol. 21 no. 4/5, pp 758-778.
Woodward, K, (2007) Boxing, Masculinity and Identity: The “I” of the Tiger, London Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2004) 'Rumbles in the Jungle: Boxing, Racialization and the Performance of Masculinity' in Leisure Studies, vol 23, no.1, pp.5-17.
Woodward, K. (2004) 'Feminist critiques of social policy' in Lavalette, M. and Pratt, A. (eds) Social Policy. A Conceptual and Theoretical Introduction, London, Sage.
Woodward, K. (ed.) (2004) Questions of Identity, London, Routledge.
Hinchliffe, S. and Woodward, K. (eds) (2004) The Natural and the Social; Uncertainty, Risk and Change, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. and Thompson, K. (2004) 'Religious knowledge; knowing and believing' in Goldblatt, D. (ed.) Knowledge and Knowing, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2003) Social Sciences: The Big Issues, London, Routledge.
Woodward, K. (2003) ‘Representations of Motherhood’ in Earle, S, and Letherby, G Gender, Identity and Reproduction, London, Palgrave.
Woodward, K. (2002) Understanding Identity, London Arnold.
Kirkup, G., Janes, L., Woodward, K. and Hovendon, F. (eds) (1999) The Gendered Cyborg, London, Routledge.
A repository of research publications and other research outputs can be viewed at The Open University's Open Research Online.
Teaching interests
I have worked on a wide range of social science and interdisciplinary modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level including many very popular interdisciplinary level 1 Introduction to the Social Sciences modules as well as masters' and research methods corses.I have worked on Women's Studies, Cultural and Media Studies and Sociology modules.
I have supervised a large number of PhD students working on different aspects of gendered and diasporic identities, including diverse religious and spiritual attachments and embodied selves in the context of cultural transformations in the field of sport and embodiment.
External collaborations
International Olymic Museum Lausanne. Curator of Chasing Time Exhibition
Research groups
| Name | Type | Parent Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Centre for Citizenship, Identifies and Governance (CCIG) | Centre | Faculty of Social Sciences |
| Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) | Centre | Faculty of Social Sciences |
Publications
Journal articles
[Editorial]: Insights into gender, sex, and sexualities: 2022 (2024-03)
Woodward, Kath
Frontiers in Sociology, 9, Article 1378891
The football commentator and the social commentator: a conversation (2024)
Woodward, Jack and Woodward, Kath
Soccer & Society, 25(4-6) (pp. 737-747)
Editorial: Lessons from COVID-19: Building a fairer, healthier, inclusive and sustainable post-pandemic society (2022-12-06)
Woodward, Kath; Bradby, Hannah; Jasso, Guillermina and Cheung, Sin Yi
Frontiers in Sociology, 7, Article 1100563
Editorial: Inequalities (2022)
Bradby, Hannah; Jasso, Guillermina; Outhwaite, William; Pulignano, Valeria and Woodward, Kath
Frontiers in Sociology, 7
The gendering of defining moments: heroic narratives and pivotal points in footballing memories (2019-10)
Woodward, Kath
Soccer and Society, 20(7-8) (pp. 1108-1117)
Editors’ Report 2017 (2017-12-01)
King, Andy; Murji, Karim; Neal, Sarah; Watson, Sophie and Woodward, Kath
Sociology, 51(6) (pp. 1127-1131)
Women's time? Time and temporality in women's football (2017)
Woodward, Kath
Sport in Society, 20(5-6) (pp. 689-700)
Lived actualities cultural experience and social worlds: representing David Bowie (2017)
Woodward, Kath
Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 31(4) (pp. 499-508)
Editors’ Report 2016 (2016-03-17)
King, Andrew; Neal, Sarah; Murji, Karim; Watson, Sophie and Woodward, Kath
Sociology, 50(2) (pp. 227-230)
Gender studies and interdisciplinarity (2015-08)
Woodward, Kath and Woodward, Sophie
Palgrave Communications, Article 15018
Legacies of 2012: putting women's boxing into discourse (2014)
Woodward, Kath
Contemporary Social Science: Journal of the Academy of Social Sciences, 9(2) (pp. 242-252)
Being in the academy:a cross generational conversation (2012-10)
Woodward, Kath and Woodward, Sophie
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 31(5/6) (pp. 435-451)
The culture of boxing: sensation and affect (2011-12)
Woodward, Kath
Sport in History, 31(4) (pp. 487-503)
Tuning in: diasporas at the BBC World Service (2011-05)
Woodward, Kath
M/C Journal, 14(2)
Tuning in to football on the BBC World Service (2011-01)
Wyllie, James; Woodward, Kath and Goldblatt, David
Soccer & Society, 12(1) (pp. 11-20)
Introduction (2011-01)
Woodward, Kath and Goldblatt, David
Soccer & Society, 12(1) (pp. 1-8)
Bodies on the margins: regulating bodies, regulatory bodies (2009-04)
Woodward, Kath
Leisure Studies, 28(2) (pp. 143-156)
Hanging out and hanging about: Insider/outsider research in the sport of boxing (2008)
Woodward, Kath
Ethnography, 9(4) (pp. 536-560)
On and Off the Pitch: Diversity policies and transforming identities? (2007-07)
Woodward, Kath
Cultural Studies, 21(4-5) (pp. 758-778)
Rumbles in the jungle: Boxing, racialization and the performance of masculinity (2004-01)
Woodward, Kath
Journal of Leisure Studies, 23(1) (pp. 5-17)
Authored books
Birth and Death: Experience, Ethics, Politics (2019-12-21)
Woodward, Kath and Woodward, Sophie
ISBN : 978-0-8153-8068-9 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
The Politics of In/visibility: Being There (2015-09-10)
Woodward, Kath
Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences
ISBN : 978-0-230-30255-6 | Publisher : Palgrave MacMillan | Published : Basingstoke
Psychosocial Studies: An Introduction (2015-02-19)
Woodward, Kath
ISBN : 978-0-415-71885-1 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon
Globalizing Boxing (2014-02-13)
Woodward, Kath
Globalizing Sports Studies
ISBN : 978-1-84966-810-1 | Publisher : Bloomsbury Academic | Published : London
Sporting Times (2012-10-30)
Woodward, Kath
ISBN : 9781137275356 | Publisher : Palgrave | Published : Basingstoke
Understanding Sport (2012-07-16)
Horne, John; Tomlinson, Alan; Whannel, Garry and Woodward, Kath
Horne, John; Tomlinson, Alan; Whannel, Garry and Woodward, Kath eds.
Culture Economy and the Social
ISBN : 978-0-415-59141-6 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
Planet Sport (2012-07-06)
Woodward, Kath
Shortcuts
ISBN : 9780415681124 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London, UK
Sex, Power and the Games (2012-06-15)
Woodward, Kath
Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences
ISBN : 978-0-230-28319-0 | Publisher : Palgrave MacMillan | Published : Basingstoke
The Short Guide to Gender (2011-06)
Woodward, Kath
Short Guides
ISBN : 978-1-84742-763-2 | Publisher : The Policy Press | Published : Bristol
Why Feminism Matters: Feminism Lost and Found (2009-09-16)
Woodward, Kath and Woodward, Sophie
ISBN : 9780230216198 | Publisher : Palgrave MacMillan | Published : Basingstoke
Embodied Sporting Practices: Regulating and Regulatory Bodies (2009)
Woodward, Kath
ISBN : 9780230218055 | Publisher : Palgrave MacMillan | Published : Basingstoke
Boxing, Masculinity and Identity. The "I" of the Tiger (2006)
Woodward, Kath
ISBN : 9780415367714 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon, UK
Understanding Identity (2003)
Woodward, Kath
ISBN : 0-340-80850-0 | Publisher : Hodder Arnold | Published : London, UK
Book chapters
Gendered Bodies, Gendered Injuries (2022-01-01)
Woodward, Kath
In: Wagg, S. and Pollock, A.M. eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Sport, Politics and Harm (pp. 207-222)
ISBN : 978-3-030-72825-0 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan
Gendered Bodies: Sexed Lives (2020-04-22)
Woodward, Kath
In: Richardson, Diane and Robinson, Victoria eds. Introducing Gender and Women's Studies (5th ed) (pp. 128-143)
ISBN : 978-1-352-00990-3 | Publisher : Red Globe Press | Published : London
Auto-Ethnography (2019)
Woodward, Kath
In: Costley, Carol and Fulton, John eds. Methodologies for Practice Research: Approaches for Professional Doctorates
ISBN : 9781473991590 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London
Moving not staying still in time to the zone (2017-01-19)
Woodward, Kath
In: Jordan, Timothy; McClure, Brigid and Woodward, Kath eds. Culture Identity and Intense Performativity. Innovations in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Creative Arts (pp. 160-173)
ISBN : 9781138185920 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
Being in the field: doing research (2014-09)
Woodward, Kath
In: Smart, Carol; Hockey, Jenny and James, Allison eds. The Craft of Knowledge: Experiences of Living with Data (pp. 149-162)
ISBN : 9781137287335 | Publisher : Palgrave | Published : Basingstoke
British fair play: sport across diasporas at the BBC World Service (2011)
Woodward, Kath; Goldblatt, David and Wyllie, James
In: McGlynn, Catherine; Mycock, Andrew and McCauley, James W. eds. Britishness, Identity and Citizenship: The View From Abroad. British Identities Since 1707 (2) (pp. 171-190)
ISBN : 978-3-0343-0226-5 | Publisher : Peter Lang | Published : Oxford
Body politics: masculinities in sport (2011)
Woodward, Kath
In: Jackson, Ronald L. and Balaji, Murali eds. Global Masculinities and Manhood: What makes a man, within his own culture (pp. 202-222)
ISBN : 9780252036514 | Publisher : University of Illinois Press | Published : Chicago, IL, USA
Boxing masculinities: Attachment, embodiment and heroic narratives (2008)
Woodward, Kath
In: Redman, Peter ed. Attachment: Sociology and social worlds (pp. 83-110)
ISBN : 9780719078125 | Publisher : Manchester University Press | Published : Manchester, UK
Representations of motherhood (2003-10)
Woodward, Kath
In: Earle, Sarah and Letherby, Gayle eds. Gender, identity and reproduction: social perspectives
ISBN : 140390281X | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. | Published : Basingstoke, UK
Edited books
Culture, Identity and Intense Performativity. Being in the Zone (2017-01-19)
Jordan, Tim; McClure, Brigid and Woodward, Kath eds.
Innovations in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Creative Arts
ISBN : 978-1-138-18592-0 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
Objects and Materials: A Routledge Companion (2013-07-17)
Harvey, Penelope; Casella, Eleanor; Evans, Gillian; Knox, Hannah; McLean, Christine; Silva, Elizabeth; Thoburn, Nick and Woodward, Kath eds.
ISBN : 9780415678803 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
The Gendered Cyborg: A reader (1999)
Kirkup, Gill; Woodward, Kath; Janes, Linda and Hovenden, Fiona eds.
ISBN : 415220912 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
Other
Introduction: rights cultures, subjects, citizens (2011-05)
Brandstater, Suzanne; Wade, Peter and Woodward, Kath
Economy and Society, 40(2) pp. 166-183
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