Sportsminoriteternes vej til anerkendelse - En undersøgelse af potentialer og udfordringer i et brugerstyret bevægelseshus

Abstract

In this research project I investigate a new form of sports facility aimed at minority sport groups who have not had the opportunity of access to an indoor facility on equal terms with other well established and recognized sport groups. This sports facility goes by the name Teknisk Afdeling (Technical Department), and it is the new home for range of culturally different groups that share the need for a place. The aim is for the groups to join forces to create a larger community that is able to decide together how to run the place. The benefits of welfare, regarding sport, seem to be unequally divided and Teknisk Afdeling is a way to change this. In this project I ask the question: How can a sports facility contribute to the recognition of minority sport groups? The aim of this research project is to participate during the startup phase of this new facility. The data in this project is collected through participant observation and interviews conducted on the base of a hermeneutic understanding after which the data is sorted into themes using thematic analysis inspired by a guide provided by Braun & Clarke (2006). The data is discussed through the lens of Axel Honneth and his theory of recognition (Honneth, 2003; Honneth, 2006) in order to uncover the need for recognition among these groups and discuss the opportunities a place like Teknisk Afdeling can offer in relation to recognition. Tajfels social identity theory (Fraser, 2016; Tajfel et al., 1971) is used to describe some of the group dynamics that may challenge the opportunity to receive recognition at a place where culturally different groups are left to fight over the available space. The findings of this project suggest that a need for recognition does indeed exist among the groups at Teknisk Afdeling. Furthermore, it shows that letting the participants decide the overall framework and aims for the facility has the potential to attribute recognition within the legal sphere by allowing the groups to share the benefits of welfare and by giving them the opportunity to have some sort of political influence. Recognition within the legal sphere provide self-respect and make individuals aware of their capability to join a public discussion (Honneth, 2006, p. 12). This project also shows that a place like this has the potential to increase self-esteem by providing a more organized base and thereby making the community stronger for the individual groups and by creating a space where groups can feel like they belong. Teknisk Afdeling further contributes to self-esteem and recognition within the solidarity sphere by joining different minority sport groups under one big community (Honneth, 2006, p. 12), where individuals can receive recognition on the basis of their own uniqueness, thereby letting them see themselves as someone who is able to contribute to a larger community, which in the end can help dissolve prejudice between the groups by increasing care between individuals on the way to reach a common goal (Honneth, 2003, p. 93). The type of recognition leading to self-esteem, however, shows to be highly dependent on the meetings between the groups being focused on common goals. When these meetings are focused around individual needs it draws attention to the differences between the groups, which can lead to increased prejudice and stigmatization (Fraser, 2016, p. 310; Tajfel et al., 1971, pp. 174 - 175).

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Sportsminoriteternes vej til anerkendelse - En undersøgelse af potentialer og udfordringer i et brugerstyret bevægelseshus

[Minority sport groups and the way towards recognition - An investigation of the potentials and challenges in a user controlled sports facility]