Johan Fagerberg
Dept. of Social Work, Uppsala University
How is play accomplished in insecure urban contexts? In this ethnographic essay, I analyse the ways Beirut’s skateboarders make sense of the risks and dangers in their city arising from war, political unrest and hazardous streets. The essay is based on my experience of skating in Beirut, as well as on two interviews with skateboarders Ian and Karam. Departing from the view of skateboarding as a city craft, I enter into dialogue with theories of play, fun, and risk-taking to understand the meanings of skateboarding in a volatile urban environment. I show that skateboarders transform disruptive events into opportunities for play through acts of noticing and un-noticing. By noticing absence of security guards, skateboarders may approach otherwise inaccessible spots, facilitating the redefinition of the city into a space for play. Through absorption in play, skaters can also partially turn signs of war into no-things, diminishing their significance. However, play’s potential to alleviate the hardships affecting Beirut’s residents should not be exaggerated; like securitisation of city space, imposed military violence ultimately restricts freedom of movement in the city, and can at times disrupt play. In addition to expanding our theoretical understanding of play in insecure contexts, the essay gives an empirical contribution by tracing the entanglements of skateboarding in Beirut with the socio-political context of Lebanon.
Download the Beirutarticle here!
JOHAN FAGERBERG is a social work researcher and currently works as a lecturer at the Department of Social Work, Uppsala University. He received his PhD in 2024 for an ethnographic study of social work students’ professional socialisation. His research focuses on education and professions. With a theoretical interest in interaction, meaning-making, and identity, his research occasionally extends to sports culture. Johan is the course coordinator for Social Work with Globalisation and Migration.
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