2019 Conference

Decolonizing Minds Indigenizing Hearts

November 6-9, 2019: Virginia Beach, VA, US

2019 Conference Information

Sport Sociology and the Responsibility for Decolonial Praxis
Decolonizing Minds, Indigenizing Hearts

Sport in western nation-states has been central to the interlinked projects of imperialism and capitalism. In this sense, sport is part of a spatial and material project of economic development built upon stolen lands, with stolen labor. Similarly, the academy is a key institution in the production of imperialist and capitalist knowledge and expertise.

The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport sits at the intersection of these imperialist roots. We are an academic institution built on occupied land and funded by the wealth of empire; Virginia Beach can host our meeting because the Powhattan Confederacy was dispossessed of their traditional lands and Virginia was a slave state. At the same time, NASSS members primarily work within the critical tradition; focusing on the multiple ways in which power and oppression work through and within sport. What then does it mean for us to engage in critical scholarship while benefiting from the ongoing occupation of Indigenous lands and build careers within an elitist academy funded by wealth accrued from slave and other forms of exploited labor? How do we engage with a more self-critical scholarship that moves beyond manufacturing hopes for justice from ivory towers?

The theme “decolonizing sport sociology” focuses on the multiple contradictions we – individually and institutionally – confront in our research, teaching, and service. The contradictions mean that we all have a responsibility to challenge settler colonialism. The question is how do we continue to transform ourselves, institutions, and world? This isn’t simply a self-reflective exercise. To challenge the ongoing realities of settler colonialism, decolonization starts by becoming critically aware of institutional whiteness, heteropatriarchy, manifestations of racisms and how they work to maintain settler colonialism. This centers Indigenous Peoples’ interests, theory, methodology, pleasures, and desires, and rights since settler colonialism obscures them. We can then address the global processes that work to oppress and marginalize different peoples across and within empires. We hope this theme sparks a process of decolonizing minds, indigenizing hearts.

Conference Registration

Registration for the 2019 NASSS conference in Virginia Beach is active. Please use the following link to access the event website and to register for this year’s event:

 http://www.cvent.com/d/j6qy5b

Please see the "travel" tab for more information on traveling to the conference.

Direct any registration questions to NASSS Conference Director, William Bridel at [email protected].

Conference Program [Updated 10/08/19] Download PDF

Conference App: For a convenient way to plan which sessions you would like to attend, download the conference app: Sched. You can also use Sched to search for abstracts and more information about each speaker.
To download, search your App Store for "Sched" and then search for our conference withing the app.
Link to Sched App: https://sched.com/

Schedule At a Glance [Updated 10/08/19]

Wednesday, November 6th
Aboriginal Coaching Modules- 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Albemarle Hall)
Conference Registration -3:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Cottage Row)
NASSS Board Meeting & Dinner -4:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Spotswood Arms)
Welcome Reception -7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Peacock Foyer)

Thursday, November 7th
DCCC Meeting & Breakfast 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM (Restaurant)
Conference Registration 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM & 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM (Cottage Row)
Exhibits 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM (Prefunction Area)
Concurrent Sessions A 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM (Breakout Rooms)
Concurrent Sessions B 9:10 AM to 10:10 AM (Breakout Rooms)
Concurrent Sessions C 10:20 AM to 11:35 AM (Breakout Rooms)
Lunch Break 11:35 AM to 12:35 PM
Graduate Student Meeting & Luncheon 11:35 AM to 12:35 PM (Peacock C)
Concurrent Sessions D 12:35 PM to 1:35 PM (Breakout Rooms)
Plenary Sessions [Decolonizing Sport Sociology] 1:45 PM to 3:00 PM (Peacock Ballroom)
Keynote Address [Amanda Blackhorse & Screening: More Than A Word (2017)] 3:10 PM to 5:10 PM (Peacock Ballroom)
Concurrent Sessions E 5:20 PM to 6:20 PM (Breakout Rooms)
NASSS at the Movies [The Radicals  (2018)] Film Screening & Director Q&A-6:45 PM to 8:45 PM (Peacock Ballroom)

Friday, November 8th
Presidential Run 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM (Meet in Lobby)
SSJ Board Meeting & Breakfast 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM (Restaurant)
Conference Registration 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM (Cottage Row)
Exhibits 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM (Prefunction Area)
Concurrent Sessions F 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM (Breakout Rooms)
Student Poster Display 9:15 AM to 9:30 AM,  10:45 AM to 11:00 AM, & 5:35 PM to 5:45 PM (Prefunction Area)
Presidential Address [Dr. Akilah Carter-Francique] 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM (Peacock Ballroom)
Concurrent Sessions G 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM (Breakout Rooms)
Take A Student to Lunch 12:15 PM to 1:45 PM (Peacock C)
Concurrent Sessions H 1:45 PM to 3:00 PM (Breakout Rooms)
Concurrent Sessions I 3:10 PM to 4:25 PM (Breakout Rooms)
Concurrent Sessions J 4:35 PM to 5:35 PM (Breakout Rooms)
NASSS Business Meeting & Awards 5:45 PM to 7:15 PM (Peacock Ballroom)
President’s Reception 7:15 PM to 8:30 PM (Prefunction Area)

Saturday, November 9th
NASSS Board Meeting & Breakfast 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM (Restaurant)
Conference Registration 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM (Cottage Row)
Exhibits 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Prefunction Area)
Concurrent Sessions K 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM (Breakout Rooms)
Concurrent Sessions L 9:25 AM to 10:40 AM (Breakout Rooms)
Alan Ingham Memorial Lecture [Paul Whitinui] 10:50 AM to 12:05 PM (Peacock Ballroom)
Concurrent Sessions M 12:10 PM to 1:25 PM (Breakout Rooms)
NASSS Members Luncheon 1:25 PM to 2:40 PM (Peacock Ballroom)
Concurrent Sessions N 2:50 PM to 4:05 PM (Breakout Rooms)

Hotel Information

The official hotel for the 2019 NASSS Conference  is the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel

Conference participants can book a room at the NASSS room rate through the following link.

If preferred, participants can also contact the hotel by phone at (757) 213-3000 and identify themselves as a member of the 2019 NASSS Conference. The special room rate will then be applied to the reservation.

Please note that the hotel will charge a room deposit to your credit card at time of booking; the deposit is fully refundable should you cancel the room per hotel deadlines.

Rates (in US dollars):
City View Double or King: $139/night
Ocean View Double: $159/night
Oceanfront Corner King: $189/night
All guestroom rates are subject to state and local taxes, currently 14%, plus $2.00 per room per night occupancy tax. Taxes are subject to change without notice. For triple and quadruple occupancy there is a $20.00 additional charge per adult (18 years or older) per room per night, with maximum occupancy of four persons per room.

**To secure the NASSS conference rate, participants will need to book their rooms prior to midnight on Sunday October 13, 2019.

Travel Information

NASSS members can fly into Norfolk International Airport, which is about 18 miles from the hotel.  The airport has taxi service and paid shuttles from the airport to the hotel.  Taxis to the hotel reportedly are about $40 but NASSS members can ride the same cab or taxi and split the fare. Uber and Lyft also provide service to and from the airport.

Sharing a ride saves money and the planet!  As part of our environmental initiative,  NASSS will organize an interactive Ride Share document.  The document will allow you to match up with other conference attendees so that you can share a ride from the airport. Details about Ride Share will be posted closer to the conference start data.

 

 

 

 

Receptions: As in the past, there are two receptions included in your registration fee: Welcome Reception (charcuterie and dessert buffet) on Wednesday November 6 and the President’s Reception (cocktail fare) on Friday November 8. Both receptions will have a cash bar. 

NASSS Members’ Lunch: If you have registered to attend the Members’ Lunch on Saturday November 9 and have dietary restrictions, please send an email to [email protected] no later than Friday November 1 and your request will be passed on to the hotel. The confirmation email you received when you registered for the conference will indicate if you selected to attend the lunch or not. If you didn’t but would like to, there are a few spots left. Please email William at the email address above to see if there are any remaining spots.

All other meals are on your own.

Social Media: We hope that all conference attendees will follow us on social media during the conference. We would also love for you to add your own photos, content, and ideas by using the hashtag #NASSS2019Conf.

Grad Students at NASSS

NASSS offers a number of programs and services for graduate students.

  • Graduate Student Room Share: Sharing a room can help make the conference more affordable. We offer a shared document to help graduate students link up with others who need lodging.  To access the link, please email Graduate Student Representatives Sophy ([email protected]) or Jesse ([email protected]) for more information!
  • Graduate Student Luncheon: This luncheon is free to graduate students thanks to our sponsor, the SJSU Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change. This is a great chance to meet other graduate students, get oriented to NASSS, and hear about opportunities to engage with NASSS at the conference and beyond. The meeting will take place on Thursday, November 7th from 11:35-12:35pm in Peacock Room C.
  • Professional Development Sessions: This year's conference will feature several sessions aimed at graduate students and recent graduates. See your program for more details.
    • Off the Beaten Track: Discussion about contingent faculty positions
    • Going on the Job Market: Discussion about navigating the academic marketplace.
    • Navigating the Tenure Track: Discussion about the early stages of an academic career.
    • Finishing a Dissertation:  Discussion ranging from choosing a topic to finishing things up.
    • Meet the Editors: Workshop with editors of several sport sociology journals.
  • Graduate Student Social: More Information Coming Soon.

 

Virginia Beach +1 Initiative

In partnership with the Diversity and Conference Climate Committee Chair, Dr. F. Michelle Richardson, the 2019 Conference Committee is pleased to continue the “+1” initiative. The goal of this initiative is to expand the audience for the NASSS conference to include those who have never attended the NASSS conference or who have not attended for some time. NASSS members are encouraged to invite a +1; this can be a colleague, student, peer, or friend who has never been to NASSS and to invite them to register and participate in the conference. As you are considering organizing a session and/or submitting an abstract, we encourage you to bring to your +1 to Virginia Beach!