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Matt Ventresca
I'm a qualitative researcher based in the Niagara Region of Ontario. I've spent the past decade researching the sociocultural dimensions of the 'concussion crisis' both within and beyond sports - as well as some other sociological aspects of health and sports. I've recently started specializing in forms of digital scholarship - web development, podcasting, and more! I'm also a longtime musician, music lover, and maker of eclectic playlists.
Violent Impacts: How Power and Inequality Shape the Concussion Crisis
My new book written with Kate Henne (Australian National University) is now published with University of California Press!
It is the culmination of over a decade of research into the social, cultural, and political dimensions of the concussion crisis. Click here for more!
From the publisher:
“Concerns regarding brain injury in sport have escalated into what is often termed a “concussion crisis,” fueled by high-profile lawsuits and deaths. Although athletes are central figures in this narrative, they comprise only a small proportion of the people who experience brain injuries–while other high-risk groups, including victims of domestic violence and police brutality, are all too often left out of the story. In Violent Impacts, Kathryn Henne and Matt Ventresca examine what is and isn’t captured in popular discourse, scrutinizing how law, science, and social inequalities shape depictions and understandings of brain injury. Drawing on research carried out in Australia, Canada, and the United States, they illustrate how structural violence centers certain bodies as part of the concussion crisis while pushing others to the margins.”