These are the stories of our physical activities : Decolonial re-existence and poetry

• In this paper, I aim to disseminate the knowledge that was generated during a participatory art-based action research that I collaborated with a group of young Afghan asylum seekers in Sweden. The focus of the research was the lived experiences of the youth in relation to sport and physical activity. I have chosen a narrative poem which I crafted using vox participare [voices of participants] (Norton & Sliep, 2019) to do this work. In this way I have grounded the dissemination of our research in the shared epistemology of our peoples, the Khorasani peoples of central/western Asia. By adopting the persona of شاعر [the poet](Olszewska, 2015) and by writing in a reflective manner that does not obscure my own privilege, I work towards decolonising the process of research and knowledge generation as it relates to the field of sport. I attempt to show how the Afghan youth re-make sport (and physical activity) in ways that re-create conditions of dignity for themselves and their community in their everyday living. In this way I aim to disrupt the dominant understandings about what sport is, what it is supposed to do and how it can be utilised by those who are living with social injustices. 

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Afghan youth

migration

poetry

sport

refugee

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)