A critical occupational approach: offering insights on the sport-for-development playing field

Abstract

The past 15 years have witnessed a proliferation of sport-for-development organizations mobilizing sport activities as a tool for international development. Along with the growth in programmes, an academic analysis of this phenomenon has emerged. However, this body of research has not included an analysis from a critical occupational perspective. This is a conspicuous shortcoming since sport-for-development initiatives are occupation-based programmes. In this paper, we used a critical occupational approach to explore how programme staff and youth participants speak about and understand the use of sport activities in sport-for-development programmes in Lusaka, Zambia. Our findings illuminate the form, function, and meaning of sports in the programmes. Considering the form, function, and meaning together, given that football – which is heavily gendered and segregated – was constructed as the preferential activity for programmes, non-disabled boys were seen as the primary beneficiaries of the programmes.

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our gratitude to all of the staff and youth from the sport-for-development programmes who shared their time, hopes, and wisdom with us. We would also like to thank our Zambian partners and their organizations who gave us access and shared their insights and perspectives, because this study would not have been possible without their support.

Notes

^1.Van Eekeren, ‘Sport and Development’.

^2.Donnelly et al., ‘Sport for Development and Peace’.

^3.Coalter, Wider Social Role.

^4.SDP IWG, ‘Literature Reviews on Sport’.

^5.Levermore and Beacom, Sport and International Development, 33.

^6.Kidd, ‘New Social Movement’.

^7.United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace, ‘Sport and Peace’.

^8. SDP IWG, ‘Literature Reviews on Sport’.

^9.Giulianotti, ‘Human Rights’.

^10.Coalter, ‘Sport-for-Development’.

^11. See Hayhurst, ‘Power to Shape Policy’; Kay, ‘Developing Through Sport’; Levermore, ‘Sport: A New Engine of Development?’; and Nicholls, Giles, and Sethna, ‘Perpetuating the “Lack of Evidence”’.

^12. See Beacom, ‘Question of Motives’; Coalter, ‘Sport-for-Development’; Donnelly, ‘Sport and Human Rights’; Kidd, ‘New Social Movement’; and Levermore, ‘The Paucity of and Dilemma in Evaluating’.

^13.Guest, ‘Diffusion of Development-Through-Sport’.

^14. See, for example, Darnell, ‘Playing with Race’; Giulianotti, ‘Sport, Transnational Peacemaking’; Guest, ‘Diffusion of Development-Through-Sport’; Nicholls, Giles, and Sethna, ‘Perpetuating the “Lack of Evidence”’; and Sugden, ‘Teaching and Playing Sport’.

^15.Jeanes, ‘Educating Through Sport’, 2.

^16. Njelesani et al., ‘Towards a Critical Occupational Approach to Research’.

^17.Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists,Enabling Occupation, 3.

^18.Njelesani et al., ‘Articulating an Occupational Perspective’, 10.

^19.Guba and Lincoln, ‘Paradigmatic Controversies’.

^20.Njelesani et al., ‘Articulating an Occupational Perspective’.

^21.Larson and Zemke, ‘Shaping the Temporal Patterns’, 80.

^22. Ibid.

^23. Ibid.

^24.Stake, Multiple Case Study Analysis.

^25.Sandelowski, ‘Qualitative Analysis’.

^26.Miles and Huberman, Qualitative Data Analysis.

^27.Stake, Multiple Case Study Analysis.

^28.Saldana, Coding Manual.

^29.Miles and Huberman, Qualitative Data Analysis.

^30.Stake, Multiple Case Study.

^31. The quotations in this section are from a series of interviews with participants in this research study, conducted between 1 June 2011 and 1 September 2011 in Lusaka, Zambia.

^32.Whitson, ‘Pressures on Regional Games’.

^33. Giulianotti, ‘Human Rights’.

^34.Gasser and Levinsen, ‘Breaking Post-War Ice’, 466.

^35.Lindsey and Grattan, ‘“International Movement”?’.

^36.Mwaanga, ‘Sport for Addressing HIV/AIDS’.

^37.Lindsey and Grattan, ‘“International Movement”?’.

^38.Jeanes, ‘Educating Through Sport’.

^39.Donnelly et al., ‘Sport for Development and Peace’, 592.

^40.Conner Schisler and Polatajko, ‘Individual as Mediator’, 90.

^41.Burnett, ‘Engaging Sport-for-Development’, 1195.

^42.Mwaanga, ‘Sport for Addressing HIV/AIDS’, 63.

^43. Ibid.

^44.Arnett, International Encyclopedia of Adolescence.

^45.Mwaanga, ‘Sport for Addressing HIV/AIDS’, 62.

^46.Giulianotti, ‘Human Rights’, 357.

^47.Spaaij, ‘Sport as a Vehicle’.

^48.Eitzen, Fair and Foul.

^49. Beacom, ‘Question of Motives’.

^50.Burnett, ‘Engaging Sport-for-Development’.

^51.Giulianotti, ‘Human Rights’, 361.

^52.Kidd, ‘New Social Movement’, 373.

^53.Sporting Intelligence, ‘Sports Salaries’.

^54.Hughson, ‘Making of Sporting Cultures’.

^55.Burnett, ‘Engaging Sport-for-Development’.

^56.Banda, ‘Zambia Government's Role’.

^57.Kakuwa, Zambian Traditional Games.

^58.Chipande, Football in Zambia.

^59.Banda, ‘Zambia Government's Role’.

^60.Koivula, ‘Perceived Characteristics of Sports’.

^61.Burnett, ‘Engaging Sport-for-Development’.

^62.Giulianotti, ‘Human Rights’, 357.

^63.Beacom, Disability Sport and the Politics.