BOJANA BLAGOJEVICLAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

INTERNATIONAL SPORT AND SOCIETY CONFERENCEUNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

VANCOUVER BC, CANADATUE, MARCH 9, 2010

Sport and Peacebuilding: Healing the Wounds of War

Why Sport and Peacebuilding?

Source: SportandDev.org, Swiss Academy for Development

Why Sport and Peacebuilding?

Personal experience with war and sportContributionSummary of argument:

A conceptual framework for how sport fits into peacebuilding is proposed. It is argued that sport facilitates peacebuilding by fostering development at individual and collective levels.

NB: Sport: a piece of a complex, multi-dimensional peacebuilding process. A “small” but (potentially) important role

Sasha Skenderija, Excerpt“Spasic (More than a Game)”

When the country I was born in

was forcibly landing us and dislanding, we were cheering each other up

by contemplating the championship strategy -

[…] to get the maximum out of ourselvesfor the World Cup

which was just (out of earshot of the guns)

going on –without us.

Paper Outline

I - IntroductionII – Sport and Peacebuilding: A Conceptual

AnalysisIII - Principles of ApplicationIV - Empowering Individuals: Sport and Well-

beingV- Rebuilding Communities: Sport and

ReconciliationVI - Existing EffortsVII - Conclusion

A CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS

II – SPORT AND PEACEBUILDING

DEFINITIONS: KEY CONCEPTS

Ethnic Conflict (War) Pursuit of incompatible goals by different ethnic groups. Self-destruction of societies?

Peacebuilding A complex, multi-level process that facilitates the

establishment of durable peace and tries to prevent the recurrence of violence by addressing root causes and effects of conflict.

Sport All forms of physical activity that contribute to physical

fitness, mental well-being and social interaction, such as play, recreation, organized or competitive sport, and indigenous sports and games.

PEACEBUILDING

To build peace = to facilitate developmentDimensions of peacebuilding:

Physical (infrastructural) Political Economic Social

Levels of impact: Individual Collective

DIMENSIONS OF PEACEBUILDING

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Process of enlarging people’s choicesCapabilities = ability to “Be” or “Do” Examples: greater access to knowledge, better

nutrition and health services, security against crime and violence, satisfying leisure hours, political and cultural freedoms, participation in community activities, etc.

HDI - life expectancy, education, and GDPSport: most direct impact on health (“a

complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing”)

Human Development: The Bridge from Sport to Peace

(Overlapping) Levels of Impact

III – Principles of Application

Principles of Application

Sport = SOCIAL CONSTRUCTEffect depends on HOW we construct and

apply it in a contextSport as a game of war v. sport as a game of

peace

WARWAR PEACEPEACE

Zero-sum approach (win-lose)

Aggression, Violence

ExclusionFacilitates: Harm,

Hostility

Non-zero sum approach (win-win)

Cooperation, Teamwork

Inclusion*Facilitates: Well-

being, Tolerance

Principles of Application

*Note about inclusion in existing efforts

Who is included??? “ABLE-BODIED BOYS AND YOUNG MEN”

Who is missing??? WOMEN AND GIRLS DISABLED ADULTS

If a sport program for development and peace privileges one group over another it is reinforcing the structures of exclusion that perpetuate dynamics working against both development and peace.

IV- EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS: SPORT AND

WELL-BEING

Sport and Well-being

War = Trauma Flashbacks, sleeping problems, self-destructive

behavior, “death imprint,” “dissociative experience” etc.

PTSD, depression, etc.

Physical activity => health Literature establishing:

Physical activity and physical health Physical activity and mental health

Sport and Well-Being

Recreation, Catharsis, Expression, Physical pleasure,

Reconnecting with the body, Regain sense of control (transition from victim to survivor)

Principle of application: trauma awareness!!!Therapeutic Recreation?

“The prescribed use of recreational and other activities as treatment interventions to improve the functional living competence of persons with physical, mental, emotional and/or social disadvantages.”

V – REBUILDING COMMUNITIES: SPORT AND RECONCILIATION

Sport and Reconciliation

War and post-war context: “US” v. “THEM” DEHUMANIZATION

Sport can: Reinforce the dynamics of exclusion, hostility OR Promote reconciliation (transformation of

relationships)

Sport and Reconciliation

Peacebuilding through Reconciliation:Designed to break down, rather than reinforce

the dynamics of group hostilities and intolerance

Create social networks, “webs” that deconstruct “us” v. “them” dichotomies (principles of application)

VI – EXISTING EFFORTS

Existing Efforts (Limited analysis)

Increasing number of sport for development and peace initiatives

Early stages – more research, more convincing is needed

Short-term, grant fundedMost projects/programs focus on collective/

community level of impactWhat about the individual level of impact?Where are the women, girls, disabled, adults?

CONCLUSION

Source: SportandDev.org, Swiss Academy for Development

CONCLUSION

Paper: broad, conceptualFuture research:

Zoom-in on levels of impact Case-studies to measure impact (especially on

individual level) Further analysis of existing efforts Focus on excluded groups

bblagojevic@lagcc.cuny.edu