Exploring children's rights: Posthumanist perspectives on recruitment of young boys to a Danish football academy in Uganda.
Author
Frandsen, Lasse Nørgaard
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-01-03
Pages
95
Abstract
Jeg rejste fra Danmark i august 2019 for at undersøge, hvordan rekruttering af unge drenge foregår på et dansk fodboldakademi i Uganda. Målet var ikke kun at beskrive en bestemt praksis, men at åbne for perspektiver på børns rettigheder gennem kritisk etnografi—en tilgang, der undersøger menneskers erfaringer og magtforhold og stiller åbne spørgsmål til etik. Jeg arbejdede aktivt og konfronterende og talte med trænere, scouts, ansatte, frivillige og direktøren for El Cambio Academy. Projektet tog udgangspunkt i posthumanisme, inspireret af filosofferne Gilles Deleuze og Félix Guattari, og jeg eksperimenterede med skrivning som et redskab til at udvikle nye tanker. Jeg boede i Uganda i 11 af 18 måneder, og jo mere hverdagen blev bekendt, jo sværere blev det at holde den professionelle distance. Det førte til etiske dilemmaer, hvor jeg løbende vurderede mine handlinger som ansvarlig forsker. At rekruttere drenge fra de er syv år rejser grundlæggende spørgsmål i forhold til børns rettigheder: hvem og hvad skal prioriteres? Jeg giver ikke ét svar, fordi mange forskellige aktører er involveret. I stedet peger jeg på muligheder for en bedre fremtid, hvor ugandiske familier og børn ikke bliver udnyttet af internationale fodboldakademier, der præsenterer sig som humanitære.
I left Denmark in August 2019 to study how young boys are recruited at a Danish football academy in Uganda. My aim was not only to describe a specific practice, but to open up perspectives on children’s rights through critical ethnography—an approach that examines people’s experiences and power relations while openly questioning ethics. I worked in an engaged, sometimes confrontational way, speaking with coaches, scouts, staff, volunteers, and the director at El Cambio Academy. The project was grounded in posthumanism, inspired by philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, and I experimented with writing as a tool to develop new ideas. I lived in Uganda for 11 of 18 months, and the more familiar everyday life became, the harder it was to maintain professional distance. This led to ethical dilemmas as I continuously judged my actions as a responsible researcher. Recruiting boys from the age of seven raises fundamental questions under children’s rights principles: who and what should be prioritized? I do not offer a single answer, because many different actors are involved. Instead, I point to possibilities for a better future in which Ugandan families and children are not exploited by international football academies that present themselves as humanitarian.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
Football ; academy ; recruitment ; children's rights ; posthumanism ; ethnography ; Uganda
Documents