Garry Crawford (sociologist)
Encyclopedia
Garry Crawford is a British
sociologist whose research focuses primarily on audiences
and consumer
patterns, and in particular, sports fans and video gamers.
A former researcher at the Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research at the University of Leicester
, his doctoral research (at the University of Salford
) and early publications focused on British ice hockey
, its history and supporters.
His first book Consuming Sport (2004) was the first book to explicitly consider the consumption patterns, media use and everyday practices of sports fans, which Martin Johnes in the International Journal of the History of Sport described as “a very important contribution to the field of sports studies”.
His interests in fans and media consumption have led Garry Crawford to publish on a wide range of subjects including cultural studies
, film
, gender
, leisure
and beer
, and in recent years, most notably, video game culture. His research and writing here seeks to understand gaming culture away from the sight of a games machine, and consider video games within complex everyday social and cultural patterns. Frans Mäyrä
, Professor of Digital Culture & Game Studies at the University of Tampere, wrote of Garry Crawford's book 'Video Gamers' that this book "provides great service to students and research community alike by building bridges between several important research traditions..and manages to demonstrate the versatility and depth of the social approach into the field of video gaming".
Garry Crawford currently works at the University of Salford
, where he teaches cultural sociology and is the Director of the University of Salford Digital Cluster, which the British governments’ Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) report Higher Ambitions in November 2009 described as “a forum and centre of excellence, which combines and leads on high quality research, academic enterprise and teaching in areas of informatics, digital media, and new and convergent technologies”
Garry Crawford is also the Director of British Sociological Association
Publications, and review editor for the journal Cultural Sociology
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sociologist whose research focuses primarily on audiences
Audiences
Audiences is an indie rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. They have self-released two live albums. Live at The Otterarium was self recorded and produced in their practice space. Live at Lincoln Hall was recorded live at Lincoln Hall Chicago and engineered by Flashpoint Academy graduate sound...
and consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
patterns, and in particular, sports fans and video gamers.
A former researcher at the Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, his doctoral research (at the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
) and early publications focused on British ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, its history and supporters.
His first book Consuming Sport (2004) was the first book to explicitly consider the consumption patterns, media use and everyday practices of sports fans, which Martin Johnes in the International Journal of the History of Sport described as “a very important contribution to the field of sports studies”.
His interests in fans and media consumption have led Garry Crawford to publish on a wide range of subjects including cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
and beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
, and in recent years, most notably, video game culture. His research and writing here seeks to understand gaming culture away from the sight of a games machine, and consider video games within complex everyday social and cultural patterns. Frans Mäyrä
Frans Mäyrä
Frans Mäyrä is a professor of hypermedia, especially digital culture and game studies in the University of Tampere, Finland. His background is in comparative literature and the arts studies, and he has worked in subjects related particularly to fantasy, science fiction, horror fiction, video games...
, Professor of Digital Culture & Game Studies at the University of Tampere, wrote of Garry Crawford's book 'Video Gamers' that this book "provides great service to students and research community alike by building bridges between several important research traditions..and manages to demonstrate the versatility and depth of the social approach into the field of video gaming".
Garry Crawford currently works at the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
, where he teaches cultural sociology and is the Director of the University of Salford Digital Cluster, which the British governments’ Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) report Higher Ambitions in November 2009 described as “a forum and centre of excellence, which combines and leads on high quality research, academic enterprise and teaching in areas of informatics, digital media, and new and convergent technologies”
Garry Crawford is also the Director of British Sociological Association
British Sociological Association
The British Sociological Association is a scholarly and professional society for sociologists in the United Kingdom, and was founded in 1951. They publish the academic journals Sociology, Work, Employment and Society and Cultural Sociology as well as their membership newsletter...
Publications, and review editor for the journal Cultural Sociology
Cultural Sociology (journal)
Cultural Sociology is a peer-reviewed academic journal published jointly by the British Sociological Association and SAGE Publications. The journal includes sociological analysis of culture from a range of theoretical and methodological positions, and from a variety of national contexts...
.
Selected publications
- Video Gamers (2011) ISBN 9780415556200
- Online Gaming in Context: The Social and Cultural Significance of Online Gaming (2011) (edited with Victoria K. Gosling & Ben Light) ISBN 9780415563680
- Theorising the Contemporary Sports Supporter (2010) ISBN 9783838359762
- The Sage Dictionary of Leisure Studies (2009) (with Tony Blackshaw) ISBN 9781412919951
- Introducing Cultural Studies (Second Edition) (2008) (with Brian Longhurst, Greg Smith, Gaynor Bagnall and Michael Ogborn) ISBN 9781405858434
- Consuming Sport: Sport, Fans and Culture (2004) ISBN 0415288916