Adele Pavlidis

Dr Adele Pavlidis is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology with the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, and previously a DECRA Fellow (2018 to 2021). She is author of two books, Sport, Gender and Power: The Rise of Roller Derby (2016, Routledge, with Simone Fullagar) and Feminism and a Vital Politics of Depression and Recovery (Palgrave, with Simone Fullagar and Wendy O'Brien) and is currently working on her third book, Collision Paths in the Pursuit of Gender Equity: A Feminist Perspective on the Affective Dynamics of Contact Sports (under contract, with Simone Fullagar and Wendy O'Brien).

She has published widely on a range of sociocultural issues in sport and leisure, with a focus on gender and power relations. Theoretically her work traverses contemporary scholarship on affect, power and organizations, and she is deeply interested in social, cultural and personal transformation and the entanglements between people, organizations, and wellbeing.

Prior to beginning her career as an academic Adele worked in the Community sector as a Drug and Alcohol Worker and Youth Worker, as well as Grant Writing, Administration and Volunteer Management in Local Council and State Government.

Currently her work focuses on sport as a key site of change in Australian society and an important context for changing and challenging attitudes towards women. In particular she is interested in connecting social, cultural and health concepts with sport in the hope of creating more inclusive futures.

Her ARC DECRA fellowship focused on the rise of participation and visibility of women in contact/collision sports in Australia. She convened a number of face to face and online seminars and symposiums, bringing together people from industry/community, with academics from around Australia and overseas. These events supported collaboration and strengthened the work happening in Australia in the area of gender equity and sport.