Samantha Punch | University of Stirling (original) (raw)

Papers by Samantha Punch

Thank you to all the young people, residential staff and managers who supported this project and ... more Thank you to all the young people, residential staff and managers who supported this project and who so willingly gave of their time.

Annals of leisure research, Apr 11, 2023

The Sociological Review

The classification of mindsports such as the card game of bridge within sport and society continu... more The classification of mindsports such as the card game of bridge within sport and society continues to be keenly debated. The concept of ‘physicality’ is often cited as being a prerequisite for an activity to be classed as a ‘sport’, a characteristic typically seen as lacking in mindsports. However, by drawing upon monist conceptualisations of the mind, body and world being intertwined, it is possible to problematise such arguments by highlighting the interconnected sensations experienced when participating in bridge. This article explores such a notion through phenomenologically-inspired analysis of 52 interviews with elite-level bridge players. The findings detail the importance players placed upon aspects of kinaesthesia, physical presence within the competitive environment, and the role of other social actors within their own understandings of their competition experience. These sensorial, emotional and embodied accounts of elite-level bridge shed light on the physical negotiati...

Routledge eBooks, Nov 16, 2022

Local childhoods, global issues

The Sociological Review Magazine

Qualitative Research Journal

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which reactive researcher collaborat... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which reactive researcher collaboration helps to manage some of the challenges present in insider research.Design/methodology/approachEmploying (auto)biographical reflections from across two different case-studies, the authors explore the ways in which reactive collaboration is enmeshed with issues associated with researching the familiar in a marketized university environment.FindingsThe authors develop the term “reactive collaboration” to explore the ways in which insider research projects have to deal with a range of challenges from within their own research community. Reactive collaboration is as much about insider research solidarity as it is with reacting to anticipated and unanticipated events during the research process (and how inside researchers do and do not deal with them). Reactive collaboration highlights the successes as well as the failures of insider researchers negotiating complex research situations.Orig...

Global Perspectives on Rural Childhood and Youth

International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure, 2021

Bridge is a partnership card game that has increasingly professionalized in recent years, particu... more Bridge is a partnership card game that has increasingly professionalized in recent years, particularly at ‘elite’ level. ‘Elite’ bridge players participate in a unique leisure world which hitherto has been understood as a form of serious leisure. However, due to professionalization there is the possibility to work as a professional bridge player thus blurring the boundaries between leisure and work. The paper is based on the lived experiences of professional bridge players and how they understand the, often ongoing, transition from playing bridge as a hobby to playing bridge for a job. Being a professional bridge player raises issues about moral evaluations of work, a work ethic and concerns over what a ‘proper job’ is. This paper explores these dynamics in relation to Stebbins concept of ‘devotee work’ and ideas of liminality, unpacking the tensions and ambiguities involved through the perspective of 52 elite bridge players. Findings from the qualitative interviews illustrate how p...

Intergenerational Space, 2015

This chapter explores contemporary gender divisions in the home, showing that whilst there have b... more This chapter explores contemporary gender divisions in the home, showing that whilst there have been some changes and greater contributions by men, some inequalities continue to exist in the domestic division of labour. Traditional divisions of labour based on gender are outlined at the start of the chapter. It then discusses recent changes including increased gender equality, fathers ’ participation in childcare and housework, and the challenges involved in creating a balance between family and work life. Gendered household roles in the majority world are outlined before discussing children’s gendered divisions of labour.

The data underpinning this report can be accessed via the University of Stirling's data repositor... more The data underpinning this report can be accessed via the University of Stirling's data repository: https://datastorre.stir.ac.uk/.

Appetite, Oct 7, 2017

Young people living in residential out-of-home care (henceforth OoHC) are at increased risk of be... more Young people living in residential out-of-home care (henceforth OoHC) are at increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. Currently, recognition of the everyday mechanisms that might be contributing to excess weight for children and young people in this setting is limited. The aim of this study was to better understand the barriers and complexities involved in the provision of a 'healthy' food environment in residential OoHC. Heightening awareness of these factors and how they might compromise a young person's physical health, will inform the development, refinement and evaluation of more sensitive and tailored weight-related interventions for this population. The paper presents a nuanced picture of the complexity of everyday food routines in residential care, and illustrates the ways in which food is 'done' in care; how food can be both symbolic of care but also used to exercise control; the way in which food can be used to create a 'family-like' envi...

Displaying Families, 2011

Geographies of Children and Young People is a Major Reference Work comprising twelve volumes that... more Geographies of Children and Young People is a Major Reference Work comprising twelve volumes that pulls together the best international reflective and innovative scholarship focusing on younger people. Volumes 1 and 2 establish and critically engage with the theoretical, conceptual and methodological groundings of this geographical sub-discipline. Volumes 3-11 provide in depth thematic analysis of key topical areas pertinent to children's and young people's lives: identities and subjectivities; families and peer groups; movement and mobilities; politics and citizenship; global issues and change; play and well-being; learning and labouring; conflict and peace. Volume 12 connects both academic, policy and practitioner based work around protection and provision.

Journal of Leisure Research, 2021

Researchers navigate a complex network of relationships, positions, and responsibilities that are... more Researchers navigate a complex network of relationships, positions, and responsibilities that are determined by their discipline, funding bodies, and the research community they are studying. Tensions often emerge between and across each of these different spaces. This paper uses reflexive autobiographical writing to discuss some of the ongoing challenges faced with engaging a diverse group of stakeholders in relation to sociological research on the gender inequalities of bridge as a serious leisure activity. Drawing on the researchers' personal notes and exchanges during a project on sexism and the card game bridge, as well as the survey data from this project, this paper explores the ways that a combined team of insider/outsider researchers strive to balance the relationship and commitment they have to the pursuit of knowledge and the user community. Many projects face this balancing act which can permeate every stage of the research process and can be witnessed frequently in project meetings, yet there is still little published in relation to these conversations that take place between research team members.

Global Studies of Childhood, 2016

This article, by drawing on examples from sociology, anthropology and geography, argues that chil... more This article, by drawing on examples from sociology, anthropology and geography, argues that childhood studies is generally a multi-disciplinary field rather than inter-disciplinary. It emphasises that childhood studies could benefit from greater dialogue between its sub-disciplines as well as with those outside academia. While advances have been made, there is a persistent gap/tension between the discourse of childhood studies and arenas of practice and policy. More effective dialogue could also enhance learning across the Majority and Minority Worlds. While recognising the limitations and challenges of cross-world dialogue, the article suggests some areas of commonalities and differences between childhoods in the Majority and Minority World as avenues for further empirical and theoretical exploration. The increasingly blurred boundaries across different world areas and across subfields highlight the need for more inter-disciplinary, cross-world dialogue which also bridges the divi...