The glocalization of parkour: a New Zealand/Aotearoa case study

Abstract

Globalization has led to the increased sportization of parkour, one of the world’s newest lifestyle sports. This paper investigates the parkour scene in New Zealand, where attempts to develop and support parkour have resulted in the formation of a national governing body (NGB). Parkour NZ, formed in 2011 by local practitioners and the first NGB for parkour to be registered as a charity, is undergoing increased sportization in both traditional and unique ways. We examine the motivations that inspired its formation, registration as a charity and some of the ways it has negotiated the sportization process while accounting for New Zealand parkour community values. Our case study adds to understandings of glocalization and sportization of informal lifestyle sports, and highlights how parkour practitioner values are negotiated within new organizational spaces.     

English in Education: the first fifty years

On the fiftieth anniversary of the first publication of English in Education, this article reviews the journal's contribution to research and practice in the teaching of English. A thematic analysis based on close study of a sample of volumes is arranged chronologically (to show the development of ideas and practices) and thematically in terms of language mode (speaking; writing; reading, including new technologies). The article argues that the journal archive can shed light on the educational past in ways that can effectively inform the educational present and help to set agenda for the future.