19 research outputs found
Critically encountering exer-games & young femininity
This article builds upon previous research into the Nintendo Wii game âWe Cheerâ through qualitative analysis of the lived experiences of young girls and their playing experiences. I argue here that this multi-layered approach is important as it allows for exploration of the nuances between representation and everyday lives, specifically when analyzing the complexity and contradictions related to the girlsâ hetero-sexy embodiment and the process of becoming female in a (digital) culture still largely dominated by the sociocultural constitution of slenderness. Throughout the analysis, I aim to demonstrate the way in which the girlsâ engagement with âWe Cheerâ was mediated by their own embodied sensemaking and work on the self. As such, I focus on the partial stories that the girls tell about their own embodied femininities to advance studies of media reception in ways that are arguably unique to interactive exer-games such as âWe Cheer.â</jats:p
Embodying Sporty Girlhood:Health & the Enactment of Successful Femininities
This paper focuses on young womenâs embodiment of health discourses and how these are âplayed outâ in education and sporting contexts where varying physical cultures are en- acted. We draw on data from three qualitative projects that considered girlsâ understand- ings of PE, football, and running within the context of their active schooling subjectivities. Health concerns increasingly frame young peopleâs participation in sport and physical activity and âgirlsâ in particular have been encouraged to be more physically active. In- fluential âhealthismâ discourses continue to construct compelling ideas about âactive cit- izenshipâ as moral responsibility and within broader, fluid and neoliberal societies young women are seen as the âmagic bulletâ (Ringrose, 2013) to overcome social issues and complex health problems such as obesity. Through critical feminist inquiry into the mate- rial-discursive rationalities of healthism in postfeminist times our analysis demonstrates that health and achievement discourses form powerful âbody pedagogiesâ in relation to young womenâs engagement with sport and physical activity. The body pedagogies we an- alysed were multifaceted in that they focused on performative potential of sport and phys- ical activity in the quest for the ever âperfectible selfâ (McRobbie, 2007, p. 719), and were also imbued with fear, anxiety and risk related to failure and âfatnessâ. These findings are significant as they show that current responses to âtackleâ ill health that mobilise sport and physical activity as simplified and rationalised responses to the âthreatâ of obesity are problematic because they do not contend with this complexity as young women assem- ble their postfeminist choice biographies
Embodying Sporty Girlhood: Health and the Enactment of "Successful" Femininities
This paper focuses on young womenâs embodiment of health discourses and how these are âplayed outâ in education and sporting contexts where varying physical cultures are enacted. We draw on data from three qualitative projects that considered girlsâ understandings of PE, football, and running within the context of their active schooling subjectivities. Health concerns increasingly frame young peopleâs participation in sport and physical activity and âgirlsâ in particular have been encouraged to be more physically active. Influential âhealthismâ discourses continue to construct compelling ideas about âactive citizenshipâ as moral responsibility and within broader, fluid and neoliberal societies young women are seen as the âmagic bulletâ (Ringrose, 2013) to overcome social issues and complex health problems such as obesity. Through critical feminist inquiry into the material-discursive rationalities of healthism in postfeminist times our analysis demonstrates that health and achievement discourses form powerful âbody pedagogiesâ in relation to young womenâs engagement with sport and physical activity. The body pedagogies we analysed were multifaceted in that they focused on performative potential of sport and physical activity in the quest for the ever âperfectible selfâ (McRobbie, 2007, p. 719), and were also imbued with fear, anxiety and risk related to failure and âfatnessâ. These findings are significant as they show that current responses to âtackleâ ill health that mobilise sport and physical activity as simplified and rationalised responses to the âthreatâ of obesity are problematic because they do not contend with this complexity as young women assemble their postfeminist choice biographies
Embodying Sporty Girlhood:Health & the Enactment of Successful Femininities
This paper focuses on young womenâs embodiment of health discourses and how these are âplayed outâ in education and sporting contexts where varying physical cultures are en- acted. We draw on data from three qualitative projects that considered girlsâ understand- ings of PE, football, and running within the context of their active schooling subjectivities. Health concerns increasingly frame young peopleâs participation in sport and physical activity and âgirlsâ in particular have been encouraged to be more physically active. In- fluential âhealthismâ discourses continue to construct compelling ideas about âactive cit- izenshipâ as moral responsibility and within broader, fluid and neoliberal societies young women are seen as the âmagic bulletâ (Ringrose, 2013) to overcome social issues and complex health problems such as obesity. Through critical feminist inquiry into the mate- rial-discursive rationalities of healthism in postfeminist times our analysis demonstrates that health and achievement discourses form powerful âbody pedagogiesâ in relation to young womenâs engagement with sport and physical activity. The body pedagogies we an- alysed were multifaceted in that they focused on performative potential of sport and phys- ical activity in the quest for the ever âperfectible selfâ (McRobbie, 2007, p. 719), and were also imbued with fear, anxiety and risk related to failure and âfatnessâ. These findings are significant as they show that current responses to âtackleâ ill health that mobilise sport and physical activity as simplified and rationalised responses to the âthreatâ of obesity are problematic because they do not contend with this complexity as young women assem- ble their postfeminist choice biographies
Remembering learning to play:reworking gendered memories of sport, physical activity, and movemen
In this article, we explore young womenâs memories of their experiences with sport, physical activity, and play during their childhood. Through collective memory work â sharing, discussing, writing, and analysing sporting memories/histories â we examine (re)constructions of young womenâs experiences of gendered relations of power, bodily awareness, and regulation within movement-based practices. The approach taken explores relationships between theory and method, a feature of post- qualitative inquiry. Forming a collaborative memory workshop with six young women (aged 19â22) and two researchers, we illustrate how work-ing memories facilitates the interrogation of taken-for-granted assump-tions about womenâs active bodies. Represented through two memories in this paper, their production, representation, and analysis were a collaborative effort, not solely representative of two individual experi-ences. Despite growing up within a period wherein womenâs access to and engagement with sport and physical activity is more available, com-mon, and diverse compared to the youth of past generations, young womenâs experiences explored here illustrate the ways in which move-ment-based practices are located within the confluence of postfeminist sensibilities including, intensely scrutinised gendered body cultures, potent neoliberal configurations, and discourses of empowerment. It is these new sporting and active femininities and the gendering experiences of physical culture that are explored within this paper through memory work and collective biograph
Inequalities in older people: A plan for action
Health inequalities result in poor accessibility to primary, secondary, community and preventative care as well as food sources and other health practices such as exercise and physical activity, across the lifespan1,2. However, globally, we have increasingly ageing population, and the importance of addressing issues related to deprivation in this vulnerable group is crucial. Older people living in deprived communities have reduced access to a range of services, which compromises their health and social-care1. This is often further exacerbated in areas of conflict, political and social unrest.Public Health and Primary Care often adopt top-down approaches, identifying behaviours or individuals as âproblemsâ and developing programmes to target the behaviours or individuals. This can result in programmes that widen rather than reduce inequalities. Our sandpit was designed to explore an evidence-based, bottom-up, community engagement approach3, that enables communities to identify barriers to their health and wellbeing and design sustainable and contextually specific solutions.Our expertise, the urban-rural disparity across GW4 and our global partners uniquely placed us to address the âHealth, demographic change and wellbeingâ grand challenge and contribute to the GW4 priority areas âInclusive innovative and reflective societies, and âSocial Justice, Inequality, local and global.â We worked with research partners in Colombia and Namibia to develop transferable adaptive processes and approaches for these developing countries and the welfare of their older populations.From the outset we identified several key outcomes and benefits from this research sandpit:âą To be in a position to inform responses to local, national and international grand challenges to create inclusive communities and promote social justice.âą To be in a position to inform government programmes for improving health inequalities of older people.âą To develop a, network of researchers, community members and service providers, who can cogenerate âcommunity engagementâ approaches, that are underutilised.The focus of our application was to identify new approaches and ways of addressing inequalities in health among older people living in low income / economically disadvantaged communities. In particular we wanted to maximise a community-development, bottom-up approach that is evidenced to have positive effects on health behaviours, health consequences and self-efficacy2. This also aligns with the Healthy Living theme proposed in the GW4, 5-year strategy3.AimTo identify new approaches, based on bottom-up approaches, to address inequalities in health among older people, living in low income and economically disadvantaged communities.6Objectives- Design and deliver a 2-day, international, residential sandpit- Create a network and data base of expertise, including academic, professional and local community members, with expertise in inequalities in older people, from across the GW4 locality and from the two DAC countries of Colombia and Namibia- Form a platform to develop community lead public health education health initiatives, identified by the local communities.- Develop one-two potential research projects in readiness for any future, related calls.How the funds were used ?Funding supported a 2-day, residential sandpit called: âHealth inequalities in older people: a plan for actionâ. This was facilitated by a professional facilitator to enable us to achieve our aim and outcomes and ensured that we maximised our productivity. Attendees included stakeholders from relevant service providers and community members as well as academics with expertise in health inequalities in older people. This combined expertise and experience ensured that collective ideas and approaches were focused on grounding any project within the lived experience of economically disadvantaged communities.To advertise the event we designed a poster promoting the two-day, international, residential sandpit titled âInequalities in older people: A plan for actionâ (appendix 1). We emailed this to selected, potential delegates from stakeholder organisations, including service providers, community members and academics with expertise in health inequalities in older people, throughout the GW4 locality. We included a link on the poster taking interested applicants to an on-line registration page that we created using the Bristol on-line Survey system (BOS). The application form also asked potential delegates to provide details about their areas of expertise and to state whether they were happy for these to be placed on our database. In addition, we included a draft programme for the event.Approximately three-weeks before the event we circulated a document providing pen portraits from each of the GW4 leads involved in the original application (appendix 2). In the final two weeks prior to the event communication was maintained between organisers and potential delegates and important information, such as the programme for the sandpit was provided (figure 1).The residential 2-day sandpit took place at the Novotel, Victoria Street, Bristol. This was a central location in Bristol. It was a 5-minute walk from the main railway station and on major bus routes. Parking was provided for all delegates, by the hotel, if required
Remembering learning to play:reworking gendered memories of sport, physical activity, and movement
In this article, we explore young womenâs memories of their experiences with sport, physical activity, and play during their childhood. Through collective memory work â sharing, discussing, writing, and analysing sporting memories/histories â we examine (re)constructions of young womenâs experiences of gendered relations of power, bodily awareness, and regulation within movement-based practices. The approach taken explores relationships between theory and method, a feature of post- qualitative inquiry. Forming a collaborative memory workshop with six young women (aged 19â22) and two researchers, we illustrate how work-ing memories facilitates the interrogation of taken-for-granted assump-tions about womenâs active bodies. Represented through two memories in this paper, their production, representation, and analysis were a collaborative effort, not solely representative of two individual experi-ences. Despite growing up within a period wherein womenâs access to and engagement with sport and physical activity is more available, com-mon, and diverse compared to the youth of past generations, young womenâs experiences explored here illustrate the ways in which move-ment-based practices are located within the confluence of postfeminist sensibilities including, intensely scrutinised gendered body cultures, potent neoliberal configurations, and discourses of empowerment. It is these new sporting and active femininities and the gendering experiences of physical culture that are explored within this paper through memory work and collective biograph