Simon C Darnell is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the relationship between sport and international development and peace building efforts, the development implications of sports mega-events, and the place of social activism in the culture of sport.
He is the author of Sport for Development and Peace: A Critical Sociology and co-author of Sport and Social Movements: From the Global to the Local (both published by Bloomsbury Academic). His research has also been published in the Sociology of Sport Journal, the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, and Progress in Development Studies.
He is currently conducting a comparative analysis of Sport for Development and Peace programs in five regions of the world (with colleagues from Loughborough University, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council) and working on a book that explores the history of sport for development since the 19th century (co-authored with Russell Field and Bruce Kidd). He is also conducting research into the experiences of contemporary activist athletes. He currently serves as Associate Editor of the Sociology of Sport Journal.