Sport and social work: An excellent thesis that offers important analyses

Maddie Brockbank
McMaster University

Offering a framework for what the author aptly names “Nordic sports social work,” this thesis explores the social factors that facilitate and challenge refugees’ social inclusion and participation in voluntary sport. In particular, during and after what was commonly identified as a ‘refugee crisis’ in 2015, Mickelsson examines Ukrainian refugees’ experiences of participating in Swedish voluntary sports clubs. The author offers a compelling examination of how community sport and social work can operate together to reduce barriers and facilitate social inclusion for marginalized youths. While he argues that this is not a novel contribution as sport has historically offered space for ‘social movement’ in Sweden, A Nordic Sports Social Work in the Context of Refugee Reception presents a necessary commentary on refugee ‘deservingness’ as it pertains to the erosion of structural social work principles in favour of neoliberalist framing of sport participation.

Beginning with an overview of the Swedish social landscape, Mickelsson outlines a brief history of the devolving welfare state that has resulted in stricter migration policies and framings of refugees as needing to quickly and seamlessly integrate into Swedish society to best contribute to the labour market. Consequently, social services (or ‘civil society organizations’) are often adapting to these changes and therefore conforming to neoliberal principles, such as professionalization and marketization.

Most notably throughout this thesis, I deeply appreciated the author’s continued attention to structural social work in his analysis of refugee ‘deservingness.’

The author then discusses the Swedish sports movement and how institutionalization of sports via clubs has necessitated analyses of the sports space as one with immense potential for community and social work-intervention despite not explicitly identifying as a provider of welfare. This is a particularly salient analysis for the social inclusion of refugees, where the author reviews extensive literature on sport for all and historical participation of largely Ukrainian refugees in Nordic sport.

Theoretically and methodologically, Mickelsson draws upon various critical and qualitative approaches, which are then reflected in six interrelated studies that are included as distinct academic articles in the appendixes. Within the thesis, the author provides a brief overview and more detailed summary of each article and their unique contributions and analyses. I was impressed by the breadth of the studies outlined, all of which used different qualitative (and one quantitative) methodologies and addressed different key shareholders in this discussion, such as Ukrainian refugees, voluntary sports club administrators, and policymakers.

The thesis concludes with key findings and reflections as they pertain to implications for social work practice. Mickelsson notes that Swedish sports clubs overwhelmingly tend to view Ukrainian refugee participation positively, and they often attempt to alter their institutional structure to meet individual needs to foster social inclusion. In a ‘sport for all’ model, sports clubs indicate that such an approach eases broader participation and might inadvertently result in increased sport capital as some Ukrainian youth bring their own knowledge and experience into the space, thus making it more competitive. However, these practices require significant resourcing, such as time, consistency, and finances, many of which are not readily available or accessible in a voluntary sports context. A specific highlight in this section is the author’s socioecological mapping of the migrant youth-coach relationship, which provides a nice visual of these complex and interrelated processes.

Most notably throughout this thesis, I deeply appreciated the author’s continued attention to structural social work in his analysis of refugee ‘deservingness.’ While Ukrainian refugees are cited as the predominant participant in Nordic sports social work, the author critically notes that they are subjected to a distinct neoliberal framing that emphasizes their agency, hard work, and cultural similarity that allow them to integrate well into Swedish sport and broader society. If a Nordic sports social work model were to adapt sports spaces to accommodate Ukrainian refugees’ needs, there is risk that it would deliberately erase, exclude, and/or harm other refugee groups. As such, structural social work principles would continue to erode in favour of the more neoliberal framing that has overtaken the welfare state and social service provision. Mickelsson cautions the outsourcing of community social work solely to sports personnel as it risks losing the necessary structural analysis that would prevent this essentialism of refugees’ social inclusion.

Overall, this is an excellent thesis that offers important analyses and carves a compelling pathway for further work in this area of study.

Copyright © Maddie Brockbank 2024