(Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions

This article draws attention to two sports-based interventions carried out as part of the Midnight Football initiative and the places where they are conducted in two suburban areas in Sweden. Rather than approaching geographic place as simply a background and a context for sport-based interventions,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: David Ekholm, Magnus Dahlstedt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2020-08-01
Series:Social Inclusion
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2688
id doaj-6f611dae718547e496bb007339094863
record_format Article
spelling doaj-6f611dae718547e496bb0073390948632020-11-25T03:50:06ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032020-08-018317718610.17645/si.v8i3.26881590(Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based InterventionsDavid Ekholm0Magnus Dahlstedt1Department of Culture and Society, Linköping University, SwedenDepartment of Culture and Society, Linköping University, SwedenThis article draws attention to two sports-based interventions carried out as part of the Midnight Football initiative and the places where they are conducted in two suburban areas in Sweden. Rather than approaching geographic place as simply a background and a context for sport-based interventions, we put place in the spotlight, scrutinising the very formation of place and its productive role in governing social policy. In line with a Foucauldian approach, and based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, the aim of the article is to explore how the specific localities where interventions take place are formed as governable domains. The analysis shows how place is constituted in association with sport sites, local youth outreach and recruiting coaches. These places are made distinct from the rest of the surrounding cities via material and symbolic borders, directing the movement of people within the urban geography. These differentiations underpin attributions of the areas in terms of otherness and exclusion from the rest of society, localising a variety of problematisations to the demarcated areas. Furthermore, the places are demarcated as being filled with danger, intertwined with narratives challenging such a discourse. In conclusion, the findings enable us not only to scrutinise how specific meanings are attributed to place and how place is formed, but also to explore the performative and governable potential of place.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2688footballgeographygovernmentalityplace makingsocial exclusionyouth
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author David Ekholm
Magnus Dahlstedt
spellingShingle David Ekholm
Magnus Dahlstedt
(Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions
Social Inclusion
football
geography
governmentality
place making
social exclusion
youth
author_facet David Ekholm
Magnus Dahlstedt
author_sort David Ekholm
title (Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions
title_short (Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions
title_full (Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions
title_fullStr (Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions
title_full_unstemmed (Re)forming the Inside/Outside: On Place as a Governable Domain through Sports-Based Interventions
title_sort (re)forming the inside/outside: on place as a governable domain through sports-based interventions
publisher Cogitatio
series Social Inclusion
issn 2183-2803
publishDate 2020-08-01
description This article draws attention to two sports-based interventions carried out as part of the Midnight Football initiative and the places where they are conducted in two suburban areas in Sweden. Rather than approaching geographic place as simply a background and a context for sport-based interventions, we put place in the spotlight, scrutinising the very formation of place and its productive role in governing social policy. In line with a Foucauldian approach, and based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, the aim of the article is to explore how the specific localities where interventions take place are formed as governable domains. The analysis shows how place is constituted in association with sport sites, local youth outreach and recruiting coaches. These places are made distinct from the rest of the surrounding cities via material and symbolic borders, directing the movement of people within the urban geography. These differentiations underpin attributions of the areas in terms of otherness and exclusion from the rest of society, localising a variety of problematisations to the demarcated areas. Furthermore, the places are demarcated as being filled with danger, intertwined with narratives challenging such a discourse. In conclusion, the findings enable us not only to scrutinise how specific meanings are attributed to place and how place is formed, but also to explore the performative and governable potential of place.
topic football
geography
governmentality
place making
social exclusion
youth
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2688
work_keys_str_mv AT davidekholm reformingtheinsideoutsideonplaceasagovernabledomainthroughsportsbasedinterventions
AT magnusdahlstedt reformingtheinsideoutsideonplaceasagovernabledomainthroughsportsbasedinterventions
_version_ 1724492308656685056