Researching Embodied Sport

Exploring movement cultures

Ian Wellard

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781138793446
• eBook ISBN: 9781317644231
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Despite a growing interest in the sociology of the body, there has to date been a lack of scholarly work addressing the embodied aspects which form a central part of our understanding and experience of sport and movement cultures. Researching Embodied Sport explores the political, social and cultural significance of embodied approaches to the study of sport, physical activities and dance. It explains how embodied approaches fit with existing theory in studies of sport and movement cultures and makes a compelling case for incorporating an embodied approach into the study of sporting practices and experience.

The book adopts a multi-disciplinary lens, moving beyond the traditional dualism of body and mind, and incorporating the physical with the social and the psychological. It applies key theories that have shaped our thinking about the body and sport, and examines both the personal, subjective experience of sporting activities and those experiences involving engagement and contact with other people, in team sports for example. The book also explores the methodological implications of 'doing' embodied research, particularly in terms of qualitative approaches to sports research.

Written by a team of leading international sports researchers, and packed with vivid examples from sporting contexts as diverse as surfing, fell running, korfball and disability sport, Researching Embodied Sport is fascinating reading for any advanced student or researcher working in the sociology of sport, physical cultural studies, physical education, body studies or health studies.

1 Researching embodied sport

An introduction

Ian Wellard

DOI: 10.4324/9781315761121-1

While there has been acknowledgement of a ‘somatic turn’ in terms of recognition of the body as a significant focus for academic thinking, much of this writing has emerged within the field of ‘Sociology of the Body’ (Frank 1990; Featherstone 1991; Shilling 1993; Turner 1994) that has been, in turn, influenced by an interest in broader grand theories relating to knowledge structures. Where the body has figured in these discussions, it has tended to be in terms of other bodies and how these bodies have been organised (Bourdieu 1981; Butler 1993; Foucault 1981). More recently, ‘the body’ as an expression has been regarded as more problematic and has often been replaced with the term ‘embodiment’. This change can be seen to have developed through a recognition of the body as more than ‘just’ a natural, physical entity, but one that is shaped by and through cultural practices. Embodiment, as a concept, has been contemplated extensively within the context of existential and phenomenological philosophy (Weiss and Haber 1999) and can be seen to draw heavily upon the writings of Merleau-Ponty (1962), who sought to distinguish between the objective (biological) body and the experiencing body. While this debate has been recognised within the context of studies of sport and movement cultures (Allen-Collinson 2009; Woodward 2009) it could be claimed that recognition of such distinctions has not significantly altered the existing landscape.

While on one hand it can be considered encouraging that ‘bodies’ have been acknowledged as a central factor in theory in general, on the other it is not necessarily the case that thinking about the research process has taken such a turn. In much research, particularly within the confines of traditional sports and projects about sport and physical activity funded through external agencies, there is still a tendency to accommodate calls for ‘objectivity’ and to seek robustness through processes that separate the researcher from the researched. Consequently, where embodiment can be seen to offer opportunities to acknowledge the biological and physical presence of our bodies as a prerequisite for understanding the social in all its forms (such as, emotional, sensual, political, environmental) it is not apparent that embodied forms of thinking are being widely adopted in research processes. Even if one takes into account a further ‘turn’ in terms of greater recognition of reflexivity, this does not necessarily suggest that there is always consideration of the researcher’s influence (let alone embodiment) when attempting to consider and ask questions about conducting research in sport and movement cultures. Not that I am suggesting here that the researcher’s body should be a focus in itself, but rather an awareness of embodiedness that infiltrates all aspects of the research process – and all those involved – regardless of the ‘type’ of methodological strategy undertaken. Therefore, the core questions that have shaped the way that this book has developed have been related to: At present, where embodied awareness does occur it is more likely to be within disciplines that address the personal and subjective, in particular auto-ethnography, phenomenology and qualitative research that incorporates personal narratives. However, I suggest that accommodating an embodied approach within the research process is not exclusively limited to these specific areas. My recent work exploring sport, fun and enjoyment (Wellard 2013) was an attempt to explore the embodied aspects of ‘experiencing’ fun within the context of sport and physical recreation, and throughout the process I became aware of many studies that were attempting to engage with similar approaches. Consequently, this collection of writings can be regarded as a mechanism for not only highlighting research that is based upon a shared understanding of the importance of applying embodied approaches to the study of sport and movement cultures, but is also relevant in that it could be welcomed by a broad inter-disciplinary audience.

1. Where is the researcher in all this discussion about bodies and embodiment?
2. What does an embodied approach look like when it is being incorporated in the research process?

Therefore, in compiling this collection of ‘stories’ about sport and movement cultures, my aim has been to bring together writers who have embraced embodiment as a central aspect of their research practice so that further consideration can be given to the utility of approaching the study of sport and movement cultures from an embodied perspective, as well as assessing the benefits in applying such methodological strategies. The book, as a whole, can be seen to sit within a broadly socio-cultural framework. However, the appeal of embracing an embodied approach is in its accommodation of a wider multi-disciplinary lens. Embodiment as a theoretical approach, as well as seeking to move beyond mind/body dualisms, incorporates the physiological with the social and psychological. Although this can be fraught with tensions (and the purpose of the book is to acknowledge these), all the contributing authors have been selected precisely because of their willingness to embrace a broader multi-disciplinary approach.

This collection can also be considered as a forum within which a range of ideas and experiences can be shared with the reader. In particular, one of the central aims in gathering these works together is that the book can be an outlet for expressions of creative research that are sometimes either regulated or marginalised in more traditional forms of academic journals. Consequently, in my role as editor of this collection I have also attempted to encourage more creative approaches to thinking about embodiment. In particular, I have tried to avoid what could sometimes be considered a dictatorial style, adopted by many journals, where it is often the case that in their attempts to fashion a particular format or identity the subsequent review process ultimately generates a ‘paint by numbers’ system, resulting in identikit articles. Consequently, the contributions offered in this book adopt a range of writing styles, reflecting an academic form of embodiment whereby the writers can be seen to be influenced by various ‘embodied’ states. These embodied writing dispositions reflect not only social constructs such as gender, age and race, but different stages in an academic career that is informed by the socio-political context that affects the way in which an author is ‘able’ to write at any given time. This is all the more significant if we take into account that an embodied approach incorporates a whole process that includes not only the research but the writing itself and how that research is presented. In this way, acknowledgement is made of how writing is in itself an embodied aspect of the research process.

Researching embodied sport

By bringing together a group of researchers who are working specifically with an ‘embodied’ perspective, the intention is to consider whether there is a particular way of approaching embodiment in sport. By including a range of ‘takes’ on embodiment it is hoped that a clearer understanding of it will emerge that will, ultimately, allow the reader to consider whether developing a particular ‘type’ of embodied approach to researching sport and movement cultures is a worthwhile step forward. The chapters are loosely arranged in sections dealing with specific aspects that were initially considered as a means to address particular issues but also act as a way of guiding the reader through the book. As the book developed, the need to identify clearly defined sections became less important as it was apparent that all the chapters were overlapping in terms of the themes that were being raised.

Chapters 2–4 provide discussions about ‘thinking about embodied sport’, where the focus is on the theoretical debates that have shaped academic thinking about the body and their application to sport. The examples highlight the tensions of previous and current thinking where attempts have been made to incorporate broader ‘grand theories’ with individual experience. In doing so, the three chapters provide possible ways to move thinking forward in poststructuralism, phenomenology and history through the incorporation of embodied approaches.

In Chapter 2, Håkan Larsson explores the extent to which poststructuralism can accommodate embodiment in sport. Using gender as an example, the chapter explores ‘common sense’ assumptions that competitive sports are generally practised separately according to gender and how this practice is seen as fair. By theoretically exploring poststructuralism and beyond, considerations are made about whether these practices are the result of a power order where the multifaceted and heterogeneous humankind is normalised into two categories, each possessing particular and separate properties. The chapter, therefore, not only raises important questions about gender inequalities in sport but also considers the extent to which uncritical interpretations of what is ‘normal’ sporting behaviour and what is not, are formulated by individuals based on their own embodied subjectivities.

In Chapter 3, Kath Woodward incorporates the idea of ‘being in the zone’ to explore some different aspects of embodiment and how it is possible to make sense of physical activities that might take an individual ‘out of the body’ and create a feeling of transcendence. The example of the experience of being in the zone is used to explore the temporal, corporeal and social aspects of the experience and to suggest an alternative way of looking at bodies and embodiment through the concept of being enfleshed. In Chapter 4, Suzanne Lundvall and Peter Schantz highlight how research relating to school-based physical education has neglected questions about what forms of bodily movement practices were developed and practised historically. It reveals how bodily movement cultures have changed, remained, faded or disappeared. They incorporate evidence drawn from empirical data collected from archives at their institution in Sweden as well as international literature on physical culture and health. In doing so, they are able to explore the historical process of embodiment in relation to societal demands for a physically active body, and, consequently, raise questions about contemporary issues relating to public health and school PE.

In Chapters 5, 6 and 7, the emphasis moves to research conducted in the field, in this case, where the focus has been on individual experience and the subjective experience of taking part in an embodied physical activity. Here, the intention is to provide the reader with examples that ‘on the face of it’ suggest an isolated individual experience, but through further examination reveal complex mechanisms for engaging with the self, the social and the environment. In Chapter 5, Michael Atkinson explores the theoretical contributions that embodied ethnography might offer to the sociology of pleasurable suffering. The focus is on fell running, a physical practice that whilst mainly performed in groups, involves great periods of isolated and lonely effort. Research conducted whilst fell running in the United Kingdom over a three-year period enable reflections on an embodied ethnography of ‘the [physical] limit’. In the discussion, the trans-contextual nature of suffering in physical cultures sets an agenda for embodied, ethnographic investigations of isolation in physical culture. In Chapter 6, Angela Pickard continues with the theme of the individual body that is both contemplated at an individual level whilst being formed very much through social formulations. In this case it is the ballet body. Her chapter examines the social world of ballet, the embodiment and identity of young ballet dancers. In particular, it explores how young ballet dancers view their bodies, apply their belief in the body strategically and develop an understanding of their body as an aesthetic project. In Chapter 7, I provide a qualitative, reflective analysis of the multi-faceted and subjective ways in which sport and physical activities can be experienced as pleasurable (or not) in order to reveal the significance of embodied thinking as a way of recognising and understanding these complexities. By detailing what it is that I actually enjoy about going to the gym, rather than offering a ‘positive spin’ on the benefits of working out at the gym, I attempt to unpack the complex subjective permutations and influences that are not always fully taken into consideration.

Chapters 8, 9 and 10 provide further examples of research in the field, but focus on more traditional notions of sporting participation, where there is generally an element of ‘team’ play. The authors provide examples of embodied research where engagement and contact with others is a necessary requirement for participation. The intention is to explore the notion of the ‘whole package’ of sport (Wellard 2013) and the experiences of taking part in sporting activities that go beyond merely the game itself. In Chapter 8, Laura Gubby explores the embodied practices in korfball. Analysis of the data she collected while participating in a korfball club demonstrated how the non-contact aspects of the game, the importance of being vocal, and the specific physical attributes required to play constituted embodied practices that were significant characteristics of taking part in this sport. Korfball was seen to offer a space where there was the possibility for girls and boys to participate in a non-contact activity, with rules and informal embodied practices (such as the vocal nature of the game) that arguably make it different to other sports. Yet, many of the embodied practices that made successful korfball players were similar to traditional sporting physical attributes, such as speed and strength. In Chapter 9, Jim Cherrington continues the theme of embodied experiences within team sport by exploring the everyday aspects of taking part in basketball. In doing so, he is able to describe how participation in basketball is a sensuous and emotive experience in which pain, pleasure, embarrassment and anxiety are central to the embodied experiences of its participants. Participation is also inextricably bound to interactions between individual bodies and others, and these interactions are significant when interpreting aspects of performance, community and identity. Experiences whilst taking part in a basketball team provide the focus for discussions about how bodily performances are governed by a complex matrix of power that is manifest in both the actions of the selection group and individual reflexive behaviours. In Chapter 10, Georgina Roy draws upon her research with female surfers in the United Kingdom to explore female friendships on a felt, embodied level. She focuses specifically on some of the more affective experiences that bond together women who surf. Making use of both interview data and auto-ethnographic reflections she explores surfing friendships from two perspectives. First, the ways in which surfing and friendship affectively intertwine for the participants. Second, the implications that surfing friendships have as part of the research process. She suggests that exploring surf friendships from the perspectives of both participant and researcher ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of contributors
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Researching embodied sport: an introduction
• 2 Poststructuralism and embodiment in sport
• 3 Bodies in the zone
• 4 200 years of physical education teacher education: an overview of movement practices
• 5 The loneliness of the fell runner
• 6 Body as aesthetic project
• 7 Isolated, embodied (guilty) pleasures at the gym
• 8 Embodied practices in korfball
• 9 Basketball, embodiment and the everyday
• 10 Surfing friendships and encounters in the field
• 11 Being nosey: the body as an effective but flawed tool for research
• 12 Researching action sport with a GoPro™ camera: an embodied and emotional mobile video tale of the sea, masculinity and men-who-surf
• 13 Researching disabled sporting bodies: reflections from an ‘able’-bodied ethnographer
• 14 Her life in movement: reflections on embodiment as a methodology
• 15 Embodied approaches to sport and movement cultures: an overview and final thoughts
• Index