Society/Culture Research Initiatives

Our past informs the present and can help us direct action for a preferred future. Through historical research, we take the long view and make connections that link lives through time and space while connecting people to structural conditions. Beyond those linkages, historical analysis also provides a clearer idea of who we are based on an improved knowledge of who we have been. Inquiry into this field explains current attitudes and movements on essential topics like race, gender, politics, economics, religion, nationalism, and globalism.

Explorations into objectivity and the concept of press bias remains in the spotlight given the current climate of media mistrust and the often-used phrase “fake news” that is heard loudly and often. Sport coverage is not immune from these criticisms and many people have lost faith in the media’s ability to truthfully report news. We research media industry and journalistic approaches to better understand how press coverage influences our understanding of sport narratives. We are exploring ways in which scandal is represented differently based on factors such as media market, type of medium, and target audience. In addition, we explore how the media play a role in both mirroring and molding broader societal ideologies related to gender and race, with respect to the messages they infuse in their sport-related promotional campaigns. We underscore the need to critically examine how the media (re)presents identities into ‘things’ that can be bought, sold, and branded.

The environment in which we live can influence nearly every thought and behaviour. The online world is a fast-paced and ever evolving environment that can have direct impact on how we think and feel each day. Among Canadians, better ‘general health’ is associated with using social media yet better ‘mental health’ and ‘well-being’ is associated with not using social media. Our researchers investigate the influence of social media on psychosocial health outcomes and how best to utilize social media in health promotion efforts.