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- Bladh, Greta, 1984-
(author)
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Moving thresholds : body narratives within the vicinity of gym and fitness culture
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis investigates thresholds that impede bodies from moving to, and within, gym and fitness sites. Thresholds are here understood as gendered social constructs and norms, which direct bodies in certain ways, and thus circumscribing potential movements and capabilities. The study’s initial entry point was at a gym, here referred to as The Club which had in its statutes proclaimed to work in a norm critical way. This was an attempt to promote a more inclusive environment, and thus lowering certain thresholds for movement, in that members otherwise discouraged to enter other general gyms, found this particular gym open and “chill”. By conducting participatory observations, interviews, and collective memory exercises, this study is an effort to identify experiences otherwise seen as mundane and ordinary, such as working out at the gym, as conditioned under certain power relations.Aided by a theoretical framework combining poststructuralism and phenomenology, a narrative and deconstructive approach directed the analysis of the empirical material. The results showed that the specific case of the Club entailed how the work for inclusiveness, and thus lowering certain thresholds, entailed other forms of thresholding, in that in order to insure an inclusive environment, a certain amount of emotional work from the members of the Club was required. This meant that the cost of an inclusive and open environment is a balancing act on an emotional tightrope, which in turn indicated that the work to be norm critical entailed vulnerable inclusiveness. Further, even though participants were critically aware of repressive gender norms circumscribing their range of movement, the possibility of other movements were still at a threshold. This was due to their corporeal historic background of experiences of hierarchical binary gender norms, which still lingered under the skin. In this thesis, this corporeal background is referred to as body narrative, an attempt to displace a binary gendered framing of the perception of bodies. However, despite the participants’ reflexive stance towards repressive gender norms, their range of motion were still at a threshold, colored by past experiences, which in turn binds our eyes to what is perceivable, signifying how emancipation can never reach an end, but is rather a continuous process, always aiming, little by little, to displace thresholds of movement.
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| 2. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1981-
(author)
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Creating clarity and managing complexity through co-operation and communication : The case of Swedish icebreaker operations
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Sea transportation is vital for the global economy, and the amount of seaborne trade is expected to increase in the future. In some areas, icebreakers are necessary for maintaining open shipping lanes all-year round and ensuring safe navigation. Vessels operating in ice are exposed to harsh environmental factors such as severe weather and heavy ice, and when external forces become too strong vessels will depend on icebreaker assistance. However, successful icebreaker operations require the icebreaker to operate in close vicinity to the assisted vessel to break the ice, which in turn increases the risk of collision.There are many factors which make icebreaker operations complex. The aim of this thesis is to use work organization, operational safety, and interpersonal communication as three lenses to describe and analyse the complexity of icebreaker operations, and its implications for practice. To thoroughly investigate this complexity, data are drawn from numerous sources; semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire, and a substantial amount of recorded authentic communication all provide complementary insights.The results show that the icebreaker performs a multitude of tasks directly concerned with icebreaking, e.g. directing and physically assisting other vessels, but that these tasks indirectly rely on interpersonal interaction and communication. A number of conflicting constraints add to the complexity. For example, harsh winter conditions impede vessels’ independent navigation in ice, while offering icebreaker crews opportunities to practice and maintain important skills. Furthermore, it was shown that language skills and communication play an important role in upholding the operational safety. However, closed-loop communication is not always used as intended, a deviation from intended communication protocol with potential to increase the risk of misunderstandings.This thesis suggests that safety and efficiency of winter navigation can be enhanced by making better use of existing technology and data; by examining the past track of other vessels, e.g. via AIS, finding suitable ice tracks will be made easier. Another implication concerning communication is that training institutes should emphasize the logic behind standardized communication protocols rather than focusing on standard phrases, i.e. facilitating means for advanced English speakers to adapt their communication style. That way, novice and advanced speakers could find common ground.
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| 3. |
- Caldeborg, Annica, 1973-
(author)
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Physical contact in physical education : New perspectives and future directions
- 2021
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis takes its point of departure in the research field of intergenerational touch in educational settings. Specifically, it is mainly the student perspective of physical contact between teachers and students in physical education (PE) that is of interest. In addition, a scoping review has also been conducted. The results are presented in four studies and offer different perspectives of physical contact in PE: students’ perspectives, students perspectives related to heteronormativity, immigrant students’ perspectives and a research field perspective. Two of the four studies that make up the thesis are analysed through the lens of the didactic contract, although a discourse analytical framework has also been used.The empirical data in Studies I-III consists of interviews with upper secondary school students, where photo elicitation has been used as a technique. The results suggest that students expect and appreciate physical contact in PE, as long as the purpose and intent of the physical contact is clear to the students. It is, however, evident that female students’ talk about physical contact can be related to heteronormativity. It is also shown that immigrant students take several negotiation aspects into consideration when determining whether or not physical contact is perceived as legitimate.The results of Study IV, the scoping review, indicate that research related to physical contact in educational settings centres around fears and anxieties among practitioners as a result of child safety and no touch guidelines. This has also had an effect on practitioners’ professional identity. In addition, the results centre around the functions and needs of physical contact as well as gender and cultural differences.The thesis contributes to the research field and to the teaching of PE by providing a student perspective on the issue of physical contact in PE, by its didactical reasoning and by discussing alternatives to the one-size-fitsall guidelines for appropriate and inappropriate touch.
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