A sociologist studying sport, health and medicine at York University, Toronto, Canada
About

As an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science in the Faculty of Health at York University, Parissa’s research interests focus on the critical study of sport at the intersection of risk, health and healthcare. This includes research on sports’ “culture of risk,” the development and social organization of sport and exercise medicine, as well as the social determinants of athletes’ health.
Her research and teaching interests also centre on sport and social inequality with focused attention paid to the impact of gender, socio-economic, and ethnocultural inequities on accessible physical activity for all. In addition, she is currently spearheading a major web-based and digital media initiative focused on community-based research, knowledge mobilization/translation and digital storytelling.
Her work has been published in major academic journals and books, and she has contributed to a range of media including The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, The Toronto Star, Global News, CTV, and CP24.
She is currently serving as the Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Health at York University.
Publications
Select Invited Chapters
PLEASE NOTE: If you are interested in reading any of the chapters listed below, please contact Dr. Parissa Safai (psafai@yorku.ca). Downloads must be for private use only.)
Tykes and Timbits: A Critical Examination of Organized Sport Programs for Preschoolers.
Fraser-Thomas, J. and Safai, P. (in press).
In R. Dionigi and M. Gard (Eds.), Sport and Physical Activity across the Lifespan (28 pages).
London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Medicalised and Scientized Bodies.
Safai, P. (2016).
In M. Silk, D. Andrews and H. Thorpe (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Physical Cultural Studies (pp. 193-201).
London: Routledge.
Sociology of Sport: Canada.
Safai, P. (2016).
In K. Young (Ed.), Sociology of Sport: A Global Subdiscipline in Review (pp. 323-342).
London: Emerald Press.
Sport and Health.
Safai, P. and Malcolm, D. (2016).
In B. Houlihan (Ed.), Sport and Society: A Student Introduction (3rd Edition) (pp. 267-303).
London, UK: Sage.
Change Rooms and Change Agents: The Struggle against Barriers to Opportunities for Physical Activity and Sport in Ethnocultural Communities in Toronto.
Safai, P. (2015).
In R. Field (Ed.), Playing for Change (pp. 253-273).
Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Sports medicine, the state and the politics of risk.
Safai, P. (2013).
In D.L. Andrews and B. Carrington (Eds.), A Companion to Sport (pp. 112-128).
Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Women and Sport Policy.
Safai, P. (2013).
In L. Thibault and J. Harvey (Eds.), Sport Policy in Canada (pp. 307-350).
Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.
Select Articles Published in Peer-Reviewed Academic Journals
The Absence of Resistance Training? Exploring the Politics of Health in High Performance Youth Triathlon
Safai, P., johnson, j and Bryans, J. (2016).
Sociology of Sport Journal, 33(4), 269-281.
Return to Play following Injury: Whose Decision Should It Be?
Shrier, I., Safai, P. and Charland, L. (2014).
British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48, 394-401.
A Healthy Anniversary? Exploring Narratives of Health in the 1968 and 2008 Olympic Games
Safai, P. (2011).
Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 28(2), 367-382.
Alter-globalization, Global Social Movements and the Possibility of Political Transformation through Sport
Harvey, J., Horne, J. and Safai, P. (2009).
Sociology of Sport Journal, 26(3), 383-403.
Reprinted In R. Giulianotti (2011, Ed.), Sociology of Sport. London: SAGE.
A Critical Analysis of the Development of Sports Medicine in Canada, 1955-1980
Safai, P. (2007).
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 42(3), 321-341.
Sport Volunteerism in Canada: Do Linguistic Groups Count?
Safai, P., Harvey, J., Levesque, M. and Donnelly, P. (2007).
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 42(4), 425-441.
The Demise of the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Canada
Safai, P. (2005).
Sport History Review, 36(2), 91-114.
Healing the Body in the “Culture of Risk”: Examining the Negotiation of Treatment between Sport Medicine Clinicians and Injured Athletes in Canadian Intercollegiate Sport
Safai, P. (2003).
Sociology of Sport Journal, 20(2), 127-146.
Communities In Motion
Parissa is currently spearheading a major web-based and digital media initiative focused on community-based research, knowledge mobilization/translation and digital storytelling.
The Communities in Motion project celebrates innovative community-based research, teaching and service initiatives undertaken by students and faculty in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science.
The Communities in Motion also focuses on the importance of Knowledge Mobilization as an integral part of the community-based research process, with particular attention to digital storytelling as an accessible approach to both engaging in community-based research, teaching or service and translating and sharing knowledge with others.
Throughout the Communities in Motion project, you will see many examples of university-community collaboration around sport, exercise and physical activity.
For more information, go to http://kincommunities.info.yorku.ca/ or www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ws7tystHcHvRYig1ltO9w

Credit: creativenv/Shutterstock
Media
Parissa has contributed to a range of media including The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, The Toronto Star, Global News, CTV, and CP24.