Annual conference 2013
Sport Politics and Policy, University of Bath
The Physical Cultural Studies Research Group (@pcsbath), Department of Education & the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, hosted the Political Studies Association Sport and Politics Specialist Study Group's annual conference on the open theme of 'Sport politics and policy'.
The event bought together more than 40 scholars from Europe and North America for an intense program of sessions addressing the intersections between sport, policy and politics.
Following an informal gathering at the Crystal Palace pub in Bath on the night before the conference, the first morning session, Sport, States, Policy & Politics, chaired by Michael Silk, saw presentations by Barrie Houlihan, Udo Merkel, Natalie Darko and Chris McIntosh. These papers were focused on the ways in which sport intersects national(ist) politics in “small states”. Prof Houlihan’s presentation introduced the way small states can use sport to differentiate themselves from too similar, or too powerful neighbours, and the way sports can be used as a form of “soft power”. The case study from a “divided Korea” presented by Dr Merkel showed how the sports arena is used by both Koreas to address and enact publicly, through sporting parades and unified participation to international tournaments, a reunification process, which is far from being pursued at a political level. Dr Darko and Chris McIntosh’s presentation showed the discontinuities in sport provision policies in another “small state”: Antigua & Barbuda. All the presentations stimulated vibrant discussion, with comments and questions ranging from the sports politics of another “divided nation” in the past, Germany, to the dangers of subtle neo-colonial relationships implied in the “recommendations” foreign scholars make to “develop” small states sporting politics.
After the coffee break the second morning session Sport, Peace & the Politics of International Development, chaired by Dr Jonathan Grix, addressed the contradictions and implications of sport politics to enhance peace processes or development politics in the “Global South”. Again, all the presentations contributed to frame, from different perspectives, the multi-layered complexities and contradictions entangled with the provision of sport for peace or development. Dr Iain Linsday opened the session by unpacking the sometimes unrealistic and not “context sensitive” expectations and shortcomings donors from the global North have in relation to global South partners, when enacting sport for development programs. Dr Zanotti's contribution reflected on the historical origin of “sports for development” programs at an international level, their relations with supposedly beneficial values around health and education, and with the possible enactment of forms of bio-politics through sport for development programs. Dr Simon Darnell presented a refreshing perspective on the tensions between sport development and sport for development, by highlighting the experiences of a “South to South” collaboration between Cuba and Zambia. In particular, Darnell focused on the tensions between the “narratives” of socialist Cuban values and the enactment and organization of sporting programs in the panorama of neo-liberal Zambia. Finally, Sarah Palmer-Felgate (formerly of the DfID and currently in local government in Southampton) offered a policy-makers counter-perspective which addressed key questions and shortcomings in sport for development programs; including the reproduction of social exclusion through targeted populations programs and dangerous generalizations about community needs and projected outcomes.
After the lunch break, Prof Tess Kay's keynote session, The Politics & Ethics of Sport & International Development Research, chaired by Dr Emma Rich, touched upon some of the morning sessions' themes and introduced important issues that were to be addressed in the afternoon parallel sessions. Prof Kay discussed the contested politics of international development research, starting from analysing how the word “research” often related, for local communities in the Global South and former colonies, with the power of imperialism and colonialism. Through presenting insights from various experience of sport for development programs in several countries of the Global South, Kay argued about the need to de-colonialize research methodologies, to address the issue of knowledge possession between “researchers and researched”, and to unpack and redefine what we mean by “development”. The risk of not addressing reflexively such issues, Kay argued, would be to develop culturally inappropriate programs reflecting only donor’s interest with researchers acting with limited transparency. The session stimulated a lively discussion aiming to build on Kay's arguments, amongst all, the need to define what do we intend as “local” (i.e. communities, actors, which are often multiple and reflecting multiple interests and not “uniform” groups), how can we integrate contributions from other critical disciplines (i.e. anthropology), and how can we de-colonize research without de-colonizing pedagogy?
After Prof Kay's contribution the parallel sessions The (Cultural) Politics of Football, chaired by Dr Russell Holden, and Contemporary Issues in Sport, Politics & Policy, chaired by Dr Anthony Bush addressed the dynamics surrounding sport, popular culture and contemporary political issues. The first mentioned session focused its analysis on football and politics in Europe, while the second saw the contributors highlighting the relationship between sport and politics (Adams), analysing the rhizomatic relations of power in the emerging processes of young athletes' exploitation (Manley, Morgan & Bush), and the connections between sporting practice and environmentalism in golf (Millington).
The last parallel sessions of the day saw a second session focused on football, politics and mega-events, Global Football, Politics & Culture, chaired by Prof Barrie Houlihan, while the other, Sport, Policy, Politics & the Governance of the Citizen(s) / Corpus, chaired by Dr Brad Millington, focused on sport, the practices and manifestations of governance, and the body/state. The first mentioned session provided a macro-analysis of the connections between sport and politics, through contributions looking at the politics surrounding global sporting mega-events (Grix, Burski, Brannagan.) The second session looked at body politics from a micro-level, focusing on the lived experiences of young people and athletes. The first contributions of the session focused on how discourses and practices about the body can shape practices of bio-citizenship (De Pian, Francombe, Rich) and governmentality (Roberts). Wintrup focused on the way current discourses and politics about the body fail to address experiences of abuse amongst young athletes (Wintrup), while De Martini Ugolotti addressed the creative and irreverent uses of body and public spaces by marginalized young people in relation to the politics of urban city spaces.
Following the sessions, lively conversations and discussion continued to flow during the wine reception sponsored by Taylor & Francis and well into the night at the Pig & Fiddle pub and ASK restaurant.
Report written by Nicola De Martini Ugolotti (PhD student, Univeristy of Bath)
Full conference programme
The event bought together more than 40 scholars from Europe and North America for an intense program of sessions addressing the intersections between sport, policy and politics.
Following an informal gathering at the Crystal Palace pub in Bath on the night before the conference, the first morning session, Sport, States, Policy & Politics, chaired by Michael Silk, saw presentations by Barrie Houlihan, Udo Merkel, Natalie Darko and Chris McIntosh. These papers were focused on the ways in which sport intersects national(ist) politics in “small states”. Prof Houlihan’s presentation introduced the way small states can use sport to differentiate themselves from too similar, or too powerful neighbours, and the way sports can be used as a form of “soft power”. The case study from a “divided Korea” presented by Dr Merkel showed how the sports arena is used by both Koreas to address and enact publicly, through sporting parades and unified participation to international tournaments, a reunification process, which is far from being pursued at a political level. Dr Darko and Chris McIntosh’s presentation showed the discontinuities in sport provision policies in another “small state”: Antigua & Barbuda. All the presentations stimulated vibrant discussion, with comments and questions ranging from the sports politics of another “divided nation” in the past, Germany, to the dangers of subtle neo-colonial relationships implied in the “recommendations” foreign scholars make to “develop” small states sporting politics.
After the coffee break the second morning session Sport, Peace & the Politics of International Development, chaired by Dr Jonathan Grix, addressed the contradictions and implications of sport politics to enhance peace processes or development politics in the “Global South”. Again, all the presentations contributed to frame, from different perspectives, the multi-layered complexities and contradictions entangled with the provision of sport for peace or development. Dr Iain Linsday opened the session by unpacking the sometimes unrealistic and not “context sensitive” expectations and shortcomings donors from the global North have in relation to global South partners, when enacting sport for development programs. Dr Zanotti's contribution reflected on the historical origin of “sports for development” programs at an international level, their relations with supposedly beneficial values around health and education, and with the possible enactment of forms of bio-politics through sport for development programs. Dr Simon Darnell presented a refreshing perspective on the tensions between sport development and sport for development, by highlighting the experiences of a “South to South” collaboration between Cuba and Zambia. In particular, Darnell focused on the tensions between the “narratives” of socialist Cuban values and the enactment and organization of sporting programs in the panorama of neo-liberal Zambia. Finally, Sarah Palmer-Felgate (formerly of the DfID and currently in local government in Southampton) offered a policy-makers counter-perspective which addressed key questions and shortcomings in sport for development programs; including the reproduction of social exclusion through targeted populations programs and dangerous generalizations about community needs and projected outcomes.
After the lunch break, Prof Tess Kay's keynote session, The Politics & Ethics of Sport & International Development Research, chaired by Dr Emma Rich, touched upon some of the morning sessions' themes and introduced important issues that were to be addressed in the afternoon parallel sessions. Prof Kay discussed the contested politics of international development research, starting from analysing how the word “research” often related, for local communities in the Global South and former colonies, with the power of imperialism and colonialism. Through presenting insights from various experience of sport for development programs in several countries of the Global South, Kay argued about the need to de-colonialize research methodologies, to address the issue of knowledge possession between “researchers and researched”, and to unpack and redefine what we mean by “development”. The risk of not addressing reflexively such issues, Kay argued, would be to develop culturally inappropriate programs reflecting only donor’s interest with researchers acting with limited transparency. The session stimulated a lively discussion aiming to build on Kay's arguments, amongst all, the need to define what do we intend as “local” (i.e. communities, actors, which are often multiple and reflecting multiple interests and not “uniform” groups), how can we integrate contributions from other critical disciplines (i.e. anthropology), and how can we de-colonize research without de-colonizing pedagogy?
After Prof Kay's contribution the parallel sessions The (Cultural) Politics of Football, chaired by Dr Russell Holden, and Contemporary Issues in Sport, Politics & Policy, chaired by Dr Anthony Bush addressed the dynamics surrounding sport, popular culture and contemporary political issues. The first mentioned session focused its analysis on football and politics in Europe, while the second saw the contributors highlighting the relationship between sport and politics (Adams), analysing the rhizomatic relations of power in the emerging processes of young athletes' exploitation (Manley, Morgan & Bush), and the connections between sporting practice and environmentalism in golf (Millington).
The last parallel sessions of the day saw a second session focused on football, politics and mega-events, Global Football, Politics & Culture, chaired by Prof Barrie Houlihan, while the other, Sport, Policy, Politics & the Governance of the Citizen(s) / Corpus, chaired by Dr Brad Millington, focused on sport, the practices and manifestations of governance, and the body/state. The first mentioned session provided a macro-analysis of the connections between sport and politics, through contributions looking at the politics surrounding global sporting mega-events (Grix, Burski, Brannagan.) The second session looked at body politics from a micro-level, focusing on the lived experiences of young people and athletes. The first contributions of the session focused on how discourses and practices about the body can shape practices of bio-citizenship (De Pian, Francombe, Rich) and governmentality (Roberts). Wintrup focused on the way current discourses and politics about the body fail to address experiences of abuse amongst young athletes (Wintrup), while De Martini Ugolotti addressed the creative and irreverent uses of body and public spaces by marginalized young people in relation to the politics of urban city spaces.
Following the sessions, lively conversations and discussion continued to flow during the wine reception sponsored by Taylor & Francis and well into the night at the Pig & Fiddle pub and ASK restaurant.
Report written by Nicola De Martini Ugolotti (PhD student, Univeristy of Bath)
Full conference programme