Professor Richard Giulianotti

Professor Giulianotti is the UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education for Development, and a Professor of Sociology.  He joined the School in November 2011 from Durham University, where he was Professor of Sociology, and at different times Head of Sociology/Criminology and Head of the School of Applied Social Sciences.

He completed his MA (Honours, First Class), MLitt and PhD in the Department of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen, and took up his first academic post there as a Research Assistant (1990), followed by a Lectureship (1995), Senior Lectureship (1999), and Readership (2005).

Professor Giulianotti was a member of the REF2021 sub-panel 24 (Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism); he is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and of the RSA, and a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Sports Initiative at Harvard University.

He is programme director for the MSc in Sport Management, Politics and International Development. 

He has been a visiting or guest professor at many universities and institutes, which recently have included Harvard University, International Olympic Academy, Johan Cruyff Institute, Seoul National University, University of South-Eastern Norway, Texas A & M University, and the University of Warsaw. 

Professor Giulianotti's research interests are in the fields of sport, development, peace, globalization, youth, sport mega-events, crime and deviance, sport and policing/security, migration, sport policy, and social theory. 

Since 2011, Professor Giulianotti has been principal investigator and co-investigator on multiple research projects valued at over £1.7M.  Eight of his projects have been funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). He was recently principal investigator on an ESRC-funded project on the role of sport, cultural and educational programmes in promoting sustainable development, with colleagues from the University of California at Berkeley, Kathmandu University, and Loughborough University.  He is currently co-investigator on an ESRC-funded project studying alcohol consumption in football cultures, with colleagues from the University of Stirling, University of Edinburgh, and Loughborough University. 

He recently completed ESRC-funded projects, as principal investigator, studying the global sport for development and peace sector, with colleagues from Loughborough University and the University of Toronto; and, as co-investigator, studying policing and police-community relations at the London 2012 Olympics, with colleagues from Brunel University and the University of Essex.

He has published five authored books, fifteen edited books, and many articles in mainstream and specialist social science journals.  He has acted as guest co-editor of many journal special issues, including for British Journal of Sociology, Global Networks, Journal of Consumer Culture, and Urban Studies.  His books and articles have been translated and published in over a dozen languages.  He is Field Chief Joint Editor of the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, and a member of many journal editorial boards.

Professor Giulianotti welcomes PhD proposals in his diverse fields of research expertise.  He is currently supervising PhD projects in the following areas: football and the social integration of refugees in Italy; sport and soft power in the Gulf region; migrant football coaches in China; sport and gender in the Gulf region; and, international football fan cultures in China.

Current and recent research projects

• ‘Understanding the Role of Alcohol Consumption in Football Cultures (Alcohol FC)’, (PI: Dr Richard Purves; Co-Investigators Dr Angus Bancroft, Prof Richard Giulianotti, Prof Kate Hunt, Stephen Morrow), funded by ESRC (£394,698), February 2019-January 2022.
• 'New Development Frontiers? The Role of Youth, Sport and Cultural Interventions', (PI; co-investigators are Dr James Esson, Prof Martha Saavedra, Dr Aoife Sadlier, and Dr Sagar Raj Sharma)
• ‘Football Fandom, Reflexivity and Social Change’, (PI/Scientific Coordinator; Dr Dino Numerato is Research Fellow), funded by European Commission (FP7) (€231,283), October 2013-September 2015.
• ‘Sport for a Better World? A Social Scientific Investigation of the Sport for Development and Peace Sector’, (PI; co-investigators are Dr Holly Collison, Dr Simon Darnell, and Dr David Howe), funded by the UK ESRC (£335,000 approx), 2014-2016.
• ‘Pro Supporters: Prevention through Empowerment’, (PI, Fair Play/VIDC; co-applicants include R. Giulianotti), funded by European Commission (€200,000), 2012.
• ‘A Sociology of Policing and Police-Community Relations at the London 2012 Olympics’, (PI, Prof Dick Hobbs; co-applicants, Dr Gary Armstrong, Dr Richard Giulianotti), funded by ESRC (£348K), 2011.
• ‘Sport-Based Interventions: A Comparative Sociological Study of their Effectiveness and User Experiences’, (co-applicant, Dr Laura Kelly; research student, Tom May), funded as an ESRC CASE Studentship, with support from Street League, 2010.
• ‘Sport and Peace: a sociological study of interventionist programmes’, funded by Nuffield Foundation (£6K), 2008.

Recent Invited Keynote Speeches and Symposium Papers

• ‘The Link of Sport and Global Development’, invited keynote to the 2^nd International Seminar on Sport for Development and Peace, Universitas Pedidikan Indonesia, 2 July 2021.
• ‘New Development Frontiers: The Role of Youth, Sport and Cultural Interventions’, invited keynote to the international conference, IV Interdisciplinary Meeting on Sport Sociology - technologies, heritage and public policy, University of Sao Paulo, 27-29 November 2019.
• ‘The State of the Art of Football Research in Sociology’, invited paper (financially assisted) to Centre d’Histoire, Université Sciences Po, Paris, 6 November 2019.
• ‘A Critical Analysis of Sport for Development’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, USA, 25 October 2019.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace: A Sociological Analysis of Key Themes and Critical Issues’, Department of Anthropology seminar series, Universidad Iberamericana, Mexico City, Mexico, 27 September 2019.
• ‘Sport Mega-Events and Public Spaces: A Critical Sociological Perspective’, invited keynote to the international conference, University Day of the German Society of Sport Science, Humboldt University, Berlin, 18-20 September 2019.
• ‘Sport for Peace in Action: Building the Game Plan’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the international conference, Scaling Up Sport’s Contribution to the SDGs, Wilton Park, Sussex, 22-24 July 2019.
• ‘The Global Game: Contemporary Issues and Future Possibilities’, invited keynote to the conference Odd FC: Celebrating 125 Years of Football History, Skien, Norway, 25 April 2019.
• ‘Football, Politics and Soft Power’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the 3^rd International Conference of Football, Catholic University of Valencia, Spain, 6-9 March 2019.
• ‘New Development Frontiers? The Role of Youth, Sport and Cultural Interventions’, invited paper (financially assisted) with Professor Sagar Sharma to the international conference, The Power of Partnerships, DFID/ESRC, Delhi, India, 3-5 December 2018.
• ‘Global Sport Studies: Critical Reflections’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the 8^th Conference of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 19-23 November 2018.
• ‘Football and International Relations: A Continuing Pursuit of Soft Power?’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to the international conference Football: Politics of the Global Game, University of Warsaw, Poland, 15-16 November 2018.
• ‘Football and Nationalism’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the international conference, 1918-2018: Poland in a Changing World, Warsaw, Poland, 18-19 October 2018.
• ‘Football, Fans and Politics’, invited paper to the 3^rd Simpósio Internacional de Estudos Sobre Futebol, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 27-29 September 2018.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace’, invited speech (financially assisted) to the International Olympic Academy, Olympia, 25 June 2018.
• ‘Grassroots Globalization: Sport, Mobility and Global Culture’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to the international conference Sport in a Mobile World, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 21-22 June 2018.
• ‘Football Events, Memories and Globalization’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to the international conference, Moments, Metaphors, Memories: Defining Events in the History of Soccer, University of Oxford, 5 June 2018.
• Member of the Organising Committee and Panel Chair, international conference Participation, Inclusion and Social Responsibility in Global Sports, Harvard University, USA, 31 May-2 June 2018.
• Member of REF2021 Sub-panel 24 ‘Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism’, January 2018 - present.
• ‘Olympism, Transnationalism and Identity: Contemporary Issues and Challenges’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the 7^th International Seminar of Olympic Studies Legacy and Challenge of the Olympic Games, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 23-24 November 2017.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace’, invited paper to the Faculty of Education, University of Pernambuco (UPE), Recife, Brazil, 21 November 2017.
• ‘The Global Game and Divided Societies: The Role of Football in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the international conference Reinforcing, Crossing and Transcending Borders: Soccer in a Globalized World, hosted by Harvard University/Olympiakos FC, Athens, Greece, 4-6 September 2017.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace: Initial Findings from an International Research Project’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to the international conference Global Sport Science, Seoul National University, 13 July 2017.
• ‘Transcending the Regional and National? Assessing the International Sport for Development and Peace Sector’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to the international conference Regionalism and Nationalism in Contemporary International Sport, University of Vic, Catalonia, 28-30 June 2017.
• ‘The Global Game and Globalization: Towards Peak Football?’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the Fifth World Conference on Science and Soccer, Rennes, France, 31 May – 2 June 2017.
• ‘Remaking the Global Game: Political Problems and Possibilities’, invited plenary paper (financially assisted) to the 2^nd International Conference of Football, Catholic University of Valencia, 1-3 March 2017.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace: Preliminary Insights from an International Research Project’, invited keynote paper (financially assisted) to the international conference Sport for Development in the Gulf, Qatar University, 11-12 December 2016.
• (& R. Robertson) ‘Globalization and Football: Problems and Potentialities’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to the international conference, Soccer as a Global Phenomenon, Harvard University, 14-16 April 2016.
• ‘Making Sense of the Global Game: Football in the Transnational Context’, invited plenary paper (financially assisted) to the 1^nd International Conference of Football, Catholic University of Valencia, 3-5 March 2016.
• ‘Football, Globalization and Media: Local and Global Challenges’, invited keynote speech (financially assisted) to The International Congress of Science and Football, Valenciennes, 1-4 March 2016.
• ‘Football Fan Research in the UK and Beyond: The State of Play’, invited keynote (financially assisted) to symposium, Sozialwissenschaftliche Pespektiven der Fußballfanforschung, Bielefeld University, Germany, 5 November 2015.
• ‘Sport and Peacebuilding: Kosovo and Beyond’, invited paper to the Beyond Sport Summit, 20-21 October 2015.
• Invited contribution to the conference ‘Sport4All’, Prishtina, Kosovo, 15 April 2015.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace: The Educational Dimension’, invited paper (financially assisted) to the 2^nd International Symposium on International Development through Sport, Tokyo, Japan, 13 December 2014.
• Invited presentation on ‘Sport, Soft Power and Development’ to the symposium Sport as Persuasion and Power in the Modern World, University of Edinburgh, Scotland House, Glasgow, 31 July 2014.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace: Critical Issues and Future Possibilities’, invited keynote speech (financially assisted) to the international conference, Fifth International Conference on Sport and Society, Niteroi, Brazil, 16-17 July 2014.
• ‘The Olympics and Mobility: A Sociological Investigation of the London 2012 Games’, invited lecture (financially assisted) to Faculty of Economics and Social Science, Tübingen University, Germany, 13 May 2014.
• ‘Researching Globalization and Sport’, guest lecture, Beijing Sport University, China, 25 April 2014.
• ‘Sport and Physical Education Research in the UK’, guest lecture, Capital University of Sport and Physical Education, Beijing, China, 24 April 2014.
• ‘Globalization and Sport: Key Themes and Issues’, guest lecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 23 April 2014.
• ‘Sport and Physical Education in the UK: Research and Teaching Issues’, guest lecture, Shanghai University of Sport, China, 21 April 2014.
• ‘Social Research in Sport: Major Themes’, guest lecture, Shanghai University, China, 21 April 2014.
• Invited participation at the international conference Why was Boston Strong?, Kennedy School, Harvard University, 13-14 March 2014.
• ‘Sport for Development and Peace: Critical Themes within a New Research Project’, international conference Sport in Politics and Throughout History, Joseph Karolyi Foundation, Budapest, 21-22 March 2014.
• ‘The Roles of Different Institutions within the Sport for Development and Peace Sector’, 2013 Dream Together Forum, Seoul National University, Seoul, 22 November 2013.
• ‘Research and Education in International Sport for Development and Peace’, Global Human Development in Physical Education and Sport symposium, University of Tsukuba/Japan Sport Council/Kanoya National Institute of Fitness and Sports, Tokyo, 7 December 2013.
• ‘The Sociology of Sport, the Olympics, and Community Impact’, World Union of Olympic Cities, 5^th Lausanne Summit, 1-2 October 2012.
• ‘Globalization and Sport: A Sociological Analysis of the Critical Themes and Issues’, international conference, Football, Arts, Language, Culture and Leisure, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 19-21 September 2013.
• ‘The Sociological Aspects of Global Football’, international conference Football: The Politics of the Global Game, University of Warsaw, 29-30 November 2012.
• ‘Sport Mega-Events in the Global City: The 2012 Olympics in London’, Global Studies Association 11th International Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, 5-7 July 2012.
• ‘Globalization and Sport’, colloque international Le Sport: de sa diffusion globale à ses pratiques locales, UFR STAPS, Université Paris Descartes, 21-22 June 2012.
• ‘Football and its Global Communities’, international conference Football and the Community, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1 June 2012.
• ‘Globalization and Sport: A Sociological Analysis of the Critical Themes and Issues’, international conference Play, Games and Sports, Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, United States, 19-21 April 2012.
• ‘The Role of Sport in Promoting Development and Peace: A Critical Sociological Analysis’, Center for African Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 16 April 2012.
• ‘Football and Globalization: Political-Economic and Socio-Cultural Issues’, international conference Konferencja Sport 2012, University of Gdansk, Poland, 15-17 March 2012.
• ‘Contemporary Dimensions and Future Possibilities within the Sociology of Sport’, Nordisk nettverk for idrettssosiolog symposium, Bo, Telemark, Norway, 23-24 February 2012.
• ‘Football Violence – Background Factors, Key Social Aspects, Policy Responses and Strategies’, For Sport Without Violence, New Policy Center, Belgrade, 27-28 October 2011.
• ‘Women and Sport: some critical sociological reflections’, invited paper to the Faculty of Physical Education, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 16 September 2011.
• ‘Sport, Globalization and National Identity’, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Campinas, Brazil, 15 September 2011.
• ‘Policing and Police/Community Relations at the London 2012 Olympic Games’, LUDENS research group, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 13 September 2011.
• ‘Social Science and Football’, plenary paper to the session ‘New Horizons in the Integration of Science and Football (dedicated to Prof. Tom Reilly)’, European College of Sport Science Annual Congress, Liverpool, 6-9 July 2011.

Books

• Tin, M.B., F. Telseth, J.O. Tangen, and R. Giulianotti (eds) (2020) The Nordic Model and Physical Culture, London, Routledge.
• Bergsgard, N.A., S. Bratland-Sanda, R. Giulianotti and J.O. Tangen (eds) (2020) Sport, Outdoor Life and the Nordic World, London: Routledge.
• Collison, H., S. Darnell, R. Giulianotti and P.D. Howe (eds) (2019) The Routledge Handbook of Sport for Development and Peace, London: Routledge.
• Armstrong, G., Giulianotti, R. & Hobbs, D. (2016) Policing the London 2012 Olympics, London: Routledge, forthcoming
• Giulianotti, R. (ed.) (2015) The Handbook of the Sociology of Sport, London: Routledge.
• Giulianotti, R. (2015) Sport: A Critical Sociology, Second Edition, Cambridge: Polity.
• Giulianotti, R. (ed.) (2012) The Sociology of Sport, 4 volume set, London: Sage.
• Giulianotti, R. & R. Robertson (2009) Globalization and Football, London:  Sage/Theory, Culture & Society.
• Giulianotti, R. & R. Robertson (eds) (2007) Globalization and Sport, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.  (This was also published as a special issue of the journal, Global Networks)

Journal Articles

• Sandford, R, A. Beckett & R. Giulianotti (2022) ‘Sport, Disability and (Inclusive) Education: Critical Insights and Understandings from the Playdagogy Programme’, Sport, Education and Society, 27(2): 150-166.
• Giulianotti, R., H. Collison and S. Darnell (2021) ‘Volunteers in the Sport for Development and Peace Sector: Antinomies, Liminality, and Structural Relations’, Sport, Education and Society, 26(9): 952-965.
• Giulianotti, R. (2021) ‘Greening Sport for Development and Peace: A Socio-Ecological Approach’, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.660743/full.
• Tian, E., X. Wang and N. Wise (2021) ‘The Sociology of Football Research Paradigm and Trends: An Interview with Professor Richard Giulianotti’, Journal of Sports and Science, 42(2): 40-46 (in Chinese Mandarin).
• Purves, R.I., N. Critchlow, R. Giulianotti, K. Hunt, S. Morrow, & A. Bancroft (2021) ‘Sport Fan Attitudes on Alcohol: Insights from a Survey of Football Supporters in Scotland and England’, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, doi:10.1177/01937235211067192
• Giulianotti, R. & H. Collison (2020) ‘Sport and the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Structuralist Analysis of Key Themes in the UK Mass Media’, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2020.578472. 
• Giulianotti, R., H. Collison and H. Hognestad (2020) ‘Managing Sport for Development and Peace’, Journal of Global Sport Management, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2020.1846910.
• Giulianotti, R., H. Itkonen, A. Nevala & AK Salmikangas (2019) ‘Sport and Civil Society in the Nordic Region’, Sport in Society, 22(4): 540-554.
• Millet, G.P. & R. Giulianotti (2019) ‘Sports and Active Living Are Medicine, and Education, Happiness, Performance, Business, Innovation, and Culture…for a Sustainable World’, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2019.00001.
• Hughson, J. & R. Giulianotti (2019) ‘Remembering Steve Redhead’, Sport in Society, 22(12): 2273-2276.
• Giulianotti, R. (2019) ‘Football Events, Memories and Globalization’, Sport in Society, 20(7-8): 903-911.
• Giulianotti, R., F. Coalter, H. Collison & S. Darnell (2019) ‘Rethinking Sportland: A New Research Agenda for the Sport for Development and Peace Sector’, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 43(6): 411-437. 
• Giulianotti, R., S. Darnell, H. Collison, P.D. Howe (2018) ‘Sport for Development and Peace and the Environment: The Case for Policy, Practice, and Research’, Sustainability, 10, 2241.
• Brannagan, P. & R. Giulianotti (2018) ‘The Soft Power–Soft Disempowerment Nexus: The Case of Qatar’, International Affairs, 94(5): 1139-1157.
• Darnell, S., R. Giulianotti, P.D. Howe, and H. Collison (2018) ‘Re-assembling Sport for Development and Peace through Actor Network Theory: Insights from Kingston, Jamaica’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 35(2): 89-97.
• Collison, H., S. Darnell, R. Giulianotti and D. Howe (2017) ‘The Inclusion Conundrum: A Critical Account of Youth and Gender Issues Within and Beyond Sport for Development and Peace Interventions’, Social Inclusion, 5(2): 223-231.
• Collison, H, Giulianotti, R., Howe, P. D, & Darnell, S. (2016) ‘The Methodological Dance: Critical Reflections on Conducting a Cross-Cultural Comparative Research Project on “Sport for Development and Peace”’, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 8(5): 413-423.
• Collison, H., Darnell, S., Giulianotti, R., Howe, P.D (2017) ‘Sport for Social Change and Development: Sustaining Transnational Partnerships and Adapting International Curriculums to Local Contexts in Rwanda’, The International Journal of the History of Sport, 33(15): 1685-1699. 
• Giulianotti, R., Collison, H., Darnell, S., Howe, P.D (2016) ‘Contested States and the Politics of Sport: The Case of Kosovo – Division, Development and Recognition’, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 9(1): 121-136.
• Giulianotti, R., G. Armstrong, G. Hales and R. Hobbs (2015) ‘Global Sport Mega-Events and the Politics of Mobility: The Case of the London 2012 Olympics’, British Journal of Sociology, 66(1).
• Giulianotti, R., G. Armstrong, G. Hales and R. Hobbs (2015) ‘Sport Mega-Events and Public Opposition: A Sociological Study of the London 2012 Olympics’, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 39(2).
• Giulianotti, R. (2015) ‘The Beijing 2008 Olympics: Examining the Interrelations of China, Globalization and Soft Power’, European Review, 23(2).
• Giulianotti, R. (2015) ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in Sport: Critical Issues and Future Possibilities’, Corporate Governance, 15(2).
• Giulianotti, R. & P. Brannagan (2014) ‘Soft Power and Soft Disempowerment: Qatar, Global Sport, and Football’s 2022 World Cup Finals’, Leisure Studies, DOI: 10.1080/02614367.2014.964291.
• Giulianotti, R. and R. Robertson (2012) ‘Glocalization and Sport in Asia: Diverse Perspectives and Future Possibilities’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 29(4).
• Giulianotti, R. and F. Klauser (2012) ‘Sport Mega-Events and Terrorism: A Critical Social Scientific Analysis’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 47(3).
• Houlihan, B. and R. Giulianotti (2012) ‘Politics and the London 2012 Olympics: The (In)Security Games’, International Affairs, 88(4).
• Giulianotti, R. and R. Robertson (2012) ‘Glocalization and Sport in Asia: Diverse Perspectives and Future Possibilities’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 29(4).
• Giulianotti, R. and R. Robertson (2012) ‘Mapping the Global Football Field: A Sociological Model of Transnational Forces within the World Game’, British Journal of Sociology, 63(2).
• Giulianotti, R. (2011) ‘Sport, Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution: A Contextual Analysis and Modeling of the Sport, Development and Peace Sector’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 34(2).
• Giulianotti, R. (2011) ‘Sport Mega-Events, Urban Football Carnivals and Securitized Commodification: The Case of the English Premier League’, Urban Studies, 48(15).
• Giulianotti, R. (2011) ‘The Sport, Development and Peace Sector: Four Social Policy Domains’, Journal of Social Policy, 40(4).
• Giulianotti, R. and G. Armstrong (2011) ‘Sport, The Military and Peacemaking’, Third World Quarterly, 32(3).
• Giulianotti, R. and F.R. Klauser (2010) ‘Security Governance and Sport Mega-Events: Towards and Interdisciplinary Research Agenda’, Journal of Sport and Social Issues34.
• Giulianotti, R. (2009) ‘Risk and Sport: An Analysis of Sociological Theories and Research Agendas’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 26.
• Giulianotti, R. and R. Robertson (2007) ‘Forms of Glocalization: Globalization and the Migration Strategies of Scottish Football Fans in North America’, Sociology, 41(1).