Critical Considerations
Featured Ma(r)king the Nonbinary Body: Endurance and Belonging in Ultra-distance Running View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Simone Pfleger
This talk focuses on Dr. Pfleger's project on nonbinary sporting bodies in ultra-distance trail running world in Alberta, Canada. In the paper, they seek to bridge theory and practice by engaging critically with questions of body politics, weaving together gender and queer theoretical academic discourses and personal lived experiences. Dr. Pfleger considers what it means for nonbinary people to participate in a highly gendered sport and what their experiences might reveal about equity, diversity, and inclusion of all bodies not only in specific sporting events but also for society at large.
The Meaning Lies Within: Aesthetic Sport Experience Are Why We Play View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elaine Foster
Aesthetic Sport Experiences (ASE) are subjective, personal connections between the participant and the activity. They are the inside experience had by the person who is participating and include the smells, sights, sounds, and feel of moving. This inside view may be a key motivating factor for participating in sport/physical activity. Unfortunately, in kinesiology settings we rarely discuss the ASEs, focusing instead on objective outcomes. Further, subjective experiences are rarely studied in research. The current study used a qualitative methodology with a narrative approach to capture the ASEs of university students studying kinesiology. Participants provided rich descriptions of their ASEs, offering insight and highlighting the meaning encapsulated in this aspect of sport/physical activity. As kinesiology students are the future leaders within sport/physical activity, this aspect is critical to how they will value, teach, and lead sport/physical activity in the future. Therefore, creating space and giving time to understand ASE broadens the meaning of sport/physical activity, and directs attention to the underlying meaning of why play occurs.
Trends of Sports in Simdega, Jharkhand: Locating Hockey and Other Sports among the Indigenous Population View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nutan Marian Tigga
This paper explores the trends of sports participation among the indigenous population of Simdega, a district in Jharkhand. Simdega is also known as the cradle of hockey as various hockey players have emerged from this place. Some of the notable players are Michel Kindo (Olympian), Silbanus Dungdung (Olympian), Kanti Baa,Masira, Surin,Sumrai, Tete,Justin Kerketta, Vimal Lakra, Virendra Lakra, Edlin Kerketta, Asunta Lakra, Alma Guria, Puspa Topno, Sunita,James Kerketta, Ashrita Lakra and so on. It is an interesting study of how tribal sportspersons are participating in sports and representing a country at an international level as well contributing to the national social fabric of India. The society which is usually located at the margins is becoming ever more visible through sports participation. This paper also explores various initiatives taken by the government which has accelerated the pace in sports participation. While discussing sports, this study considers the dual role of sports, through micro sociological as well as macro sociological lens. The paper is looks at this study through interactionist and functional perspective. The paper begins with an understanding of sports and locating its relevance in indigenous society, laying the foundation for theoretical discussions, methodology, findings, sociological analysis and lastly, conclusion.
Ethno-symbolism and Sporting Nationalism in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan: The Revival of the Nomadic Past for Modern Nation Building View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Josh Hughes
This paper explores the role of sport in national identity formation in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan through the theoretical lens of ethno-symbolism. The collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent independence of Kyrgyzstan in 1991 created the need for the state and other national elites to define a Kyrgyz national identity, which the paper argues relied heavily on the revival and promotion of ethnic symbols, myths, and shared cultural memory. Looking specifically at the creation of the World Nomad Games in 2012 following years of political and social instability, the focus on nomadic heritage through sport symbolically roots modern Kyrgyz identity within its nomadic past and helps draw symbolic boundaries that differentiate Kyrgyzstan from its Russian and Soviet histories in a post-colonial framework. Using ethnographic observations and media analysis, the paper shows how sport and the symbolic elements within games in the Kyrgyz context provide tangible connections to the foundation of an ethno-national identity. Building upon recent research in the sports nationalism literature, this paper advocates the ethno-symbolist framework of analysis for nation building in the post-Soviet Central Asian state, particularly in the context of the growing sporting culture in Kyrgyzstan.
