Geoff Harkness, assistant professor of sociology at Morningside College, authored a chapter in the book “Soccer in the Middle East” that was recently published by Routledge.

Geoff Harkness, assistant professor of sociology at Morningside College, authored a chapter in the book “Soccer in the Middle East” that was recently published by Routledge. 

The chapter, “Spring Forward: Female Muslim Soccer Players in Iraqi Kurdistan,” is based on fieldwork Harkness conducted in Iraq in 2012. It examines the relationship between athletic participation and political activism, and finds that female athletes who took part in the Arab spring protest in Iraq attributed these actions to their involvement in sports. The chapter was originally published as an academic journal article in 2012.

Harkness came to Morningside College this fall after serving as a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. The University of Minnesota Press recently published his first book, “Chicago Hustle and Flow: Gangs, Gangsta Rap, and Social Class.” Harkness has a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.