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CONFERENCE REPORT "CHANGING LANDSCAPES IN SPORT: DYNAMICS,
HYBRIDITIES AND RESISTANCE" 11th EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT CONFERENCE (EASS)
Utrecht, Netherlands, 7th-10th May 2014
Academic medieval atmosphere of the central Dom Square (old city centre) University Hall (Academiegebouw), the public face of Utrecht University, was a perfect venue of the 2014 EASS Conference.
This year a record of 170 participants from 23 countries, 138 presentations in 32 thematic sections, was broken, which is a promising sign of an increasing importance of sports exploration and its socio-cultural, socio-political and socio-economic functions that have been taking place currently.
The theme - "Changing Landscapes in Sport: dynamics, hybridities and resistance" - of the Conference fits perfectly in the globalising world we live in where changes are apparent anytime and anywhere. To discuss these changes and their consequences for the society at large, as well as to pay attention to the historical, social and cultural contexts of sport is the duty of sport sociologists.
The scientific power of the conference was presented by honourable keynote speakers with the topical thematics: "Sport policy and the changing landscape of sport in Europe" by Barrie Houlihan (Loughborough University); "Sport and the Janus Effect: Gender and the Contradictory Power of Sport" by Cara Aitchison (University of St Mark and St John); "Grass roots sports: 50 years of social inequality" by Koen Breedveld (Mulier Institute & Radboud University) and "Sports, alienation and the spectacle" by Mark Gottdiener (University of Buffalo).
Also this year, the thematic symposia presented the following four interesting topics: Gender negotiation and "belonging" in (professional) Sports Biographers: new research perspectives; Measure debate on increasing sports participation and the role of governments; Thematic ball game: challenging landscapes in sports and science and Social perception towards disability sport.
The 32 parallel sessions consisted of some new sessions, namely Legacy of sports events, Sport's fandom, Sport and healthy ageing, Sports promotion and Sport and (new) media which in combination with the ones like Sport and the disabled, Gender perspectives, National identity and similar accomplished the Conference. Multiple perspectives were used to explore the changing landscapes in both the participation and the organisation of sport and physical activity. The Conference stressed the attention to changing social, bodily and life course processes, spatial and geographical perspectives and organizational and policy perspectives in the frame of sports and physical activity.
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The EASS congress also granted the 5th EASS Young Researcher Award. This year the first place went to Michelini, a young researcher, for the paper titled "Disqualification of Sport in Health Related Promotion of Physical Activity - A Global Social Phenomenon".
Nevertheless despite the rain and cold weather outside, the social atmosphere and hospitality of the organizers enabled us to share a lot of professional thoughts and ideas for further collaboration and to bring back home pleasant memories of Utrecht's cyclers and footballers' fandom.
The following opportunity to exchange new perspectives from the field of Sports Sociology will take place on the 12th EASS Conference in Dublin (Ireland), from June 10th to June 13th 2015 carrying the title: "Sport, Unity, & Conflict".
Saša Pišot
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POROČILO Z 11. KONFERENCE EVROPSKEGA ZDRUŽENJA ZA SOCIOLOGIJO ŠPORTA (EASS) "SPREMINJANJE PODOBE ŠPORTA: DINAMIKA, HIBRIDNOST IN ZOPERSTAVLJANJE"
Utrecht, Nizozemska, 7.-10. maj 2014
Akademsko vzdušje srednjeveške univerzitetne dvorane (Academiegebouw) v starem mestnem jedru Utrechta je bilo več kot prijetno mesto letošnje EASS konference 2014. Rekordno število 170 udeležencev iz 23 držav, 138 predstavitev na 32 tematskih sklopih je zagotovo obetaven dokaz vse večje pomembnosti raziskovanja športa in njegovih socio-kulturnih, družbeno-političnih in gospodarskih funkcij.
Glavna tema "spreminjanje podobe športa: dinamika, hibridnost in zoperstavl-janje" se odlično prilega neobhodnim spremembam globaliziranega sveta, v katerem živimo. Da se o teh spremembah in njihovih posledicah za celotno družbo razpravlja v luči zgodovinskih, družbenih in kulturnih kontekstov športa, je dolžnost vseh športnih sociologov.
Znanstveni doprinos konference beležimo v aktualnih predstavitvah eminentnih plenarnih predavateljev na teme: "Politike v športu in spreminjajoče se okolje športa v Evropi", Barrie Houlihan (Loughborough University); "Šport in Janusov efekt: spol in kontradiktorna moč športa", Cara Aitchison (University of St Mark in St John); "Samonikli športi: 50 let socialne neenakosti", Koen Breedveld (Mulier Institute & Radboud University) in "Šport, odtujenost in spektakel", Mark Gottdiener (Univerza v Buffalu).
Tudi letos so bile na tematskih simpozijih predstavljene tri aktualne teme: spol, pogajanja in pripadnost v profesionalnem življenju športnika: nove raziskovalne možnosti; razprava o merjenju in zajemanju udejstvovanja v športu in vloga državnih institucij; igre z žogo: izziv prostora v športu, znanosti in socialni percepciji športa invalidov.
Legalnost športnih dogodkov, Športno navijaštvo, Šport in zdravo staranje, Promocija športa in šport (v novih medijih) so bile nove tematske sekcije, ki so poleg zanimivih sekcij - Šport in invalidne osebe, Enakosti spolov, Nacionalna identiteta in drugih - potekale na 32 vzporednih sekcijah. Več perspektiv je bilo namenjenih raziskovanju spreminjajoče se podobe sodelovanja in organizacije športa in telesne dejavnosti. Posebna pozornost je bila namenjena diskusiji o spreminjanju družbenih procesov, fizičnih procesov in procesa življenjskih potekov, novim prostorskim in geografskim perspektivam ter organizacijskim in političnim vidikom gibalne/športne aktivnosti.
Čast 5. zmagovalca nagrade mladih raziskovalcev je letos pripadla g. Micheliniju za prispevek z naslovom "Diskvalifikacija športa v povezavi s spodbujanjem telesne dejavnosti za zdravje - globalni družbeni pojav".
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Kljub dežju in hladnem vremenu sta simpatično vzdušje in gostoljubnost organizatorjev omogočila prijetno druženje in izmenjavo idej za nadaljnje sodelovanje ter pustila Utrecht in njegove kolesarje ter nogomet v prijetnem spominu.
Naslednja priložnost za izmenjavo novih perspektiv sociologije športa bo na 12. konferenci EASS, ki bo tokrat v Dublinu (Irska) od 10.-13. junija 2015 z naslovom: "Šport, enotnost in konflikt".
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