IAS Seminar: The social organisation of sport

IAS Residential Fellow Professor Josef Fahlén delivers a seminar on their research, fully titled 'The social organisation of sport – investigating separatist and integrative ambitions in Indigenous sport and their implications for participation, organisation and society'.

In sport, participants need to be separated into opponents so that they can compete. This has traditionally been made along national, regional and local boundaries and avails for phenomena such as national teams and World Championships but also for the Mercyside and the Kentucky Derby. Simultaneously, this principle creates problems for Indigenous people worldwide as they seldom subscribe to colonialist jurisdictions. This is also the case for the Indigenous people of Scandinavia, the Sami people. Having endured severe civil-rights violations and oppression for most of the last couple of centuries, they have since the 1970s experienced a revitalisation process that has involved more recognition and self-determination. In sport, this has entailed the establishment of specific Sami sport clubs and transnational sport federations, while many Sami also participate in conventional sport clubs. In this paper, Josef Fahlén describes what effects such separatist but also integrative ambitions have on individual participation, the organisation of sport and broader societal structures.

Arrivals from 11.45am for a 12pm start. For those joining in-person, lunch will be served after the seminar from 1pm.