Adopting Stuart Hall’s “Race, the Floating Signifier” as a conceptual framework within Aquatic Research and Education

Authors

Kurt J. Cordice, University of Waikato, New ZealandFollow

Disciplines

African American Studies | Exercise Science | Health and Physical Education | Kinesiology | Leisure Studies | Public Health | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Social Justice | Sports Management | Sports Sciences | Sports Studies

Abstract

During his 1997 lecture at Goldsmiths College in London, Stuart Hall, renowned for his contributions to sociology and cultural studies, offered his argument that the concept of race functions as a Floating Signifier. In this essay, Stuart Hall’s Race, the Floating Signifier is presented as a strong conceptual framework to support more accurate and effective positioning of race as an important consideration within aquatic research and education. Evidence from a range of disciplines, including historical research, is presented to establish both the importance and challenge of race within aquatic research and education. This evidence is also used to demonstrate Race, The Floating Signifier, and by extension ‘Hall’s Dilemma’, at work within an aquatic context. The utilisation of Hall’s approach to race as part of research within the field of genetics is highlighted as an example of its potential use within aquatic research. Mixed-method approaches and the use of ethnographic methods are recommended to support reflection, discourse and the production of tools to support improved aquatic research and education in the future.

Recommended Citation

Cordice, Kurt J. (2025) "Adopting Stuart Hall’s “Race, the Floating Signifier” as a conceptual framework within Aquatic Research and Education," International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education: Vol. 15: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol15/iss1/7

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.