That Was The Week That Was,
May 27 — June 2, 2024

Dear all,

We’re quite busy these last few weeks of the spring semester. And the calendar works against us. Previously we have noticed how May 1 took a workday out of one week, and how Ascension Day took one, and in reality two workdays out of another. And would you believe it! This very week contains the Swedish National Day, on Thursday, June 6. And guess what most people will do on the following Friday – that’s right, fixing themselves up fo a long weekend. I fear, though, that the offices of idrottsforum.org will be bustling of activity on both those days, since pressure is on, strongly, for certain articles and book reviews to be published before Midsummer, when we stop publishing original texts for the summer.

It’s worth mentioning, perhaps, that the National Day did not become a public holiday until 2006; before then it was a regular workday in spite of being the National Day. So, in 2003, on that particular date, idrottsforum.org was launched in a small ceremony at the Malmö Public Library, when a local sporting celebrity steered the cursor with a mouse and clicked the “Publish” button. idrottsforum.org was born and live on the ’net! So, the upcoming National Day turns into a Birthday Anniversary – idrottsforum.org turns 21.

Last week the following items were published on idrottsforum.org (see below; language and publication dates, YYMMDD, in brackets). Click on the red headings to go to content. Utilize the Google Translate service to turn Scandinavian language pages into (some sort of) English.

Have a great week,
Kjell Eriksson
Editor

Feature Articles

Analyzing migratory waves through sports and leisure practices in the 21st century: The Refugees and Immigrants Football Cup in São Paulo

In 2014, Brazil hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup. Months after the final at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, a group of refugees and migrants gathered in a small public field in the city of São Paulo to compete in their “World Cup”, The Refugees and Immigrants Football Cup. For his PhD project, Guilherme Silva Pires de Freitas wanted to know how a football cup with refugee teams impacted the participants identities and the chance of a successful integration in their new homeland, Brazil. (Published in English 240528.)

Healing Hearts, Building Futures: The Transformative Power of Sports in Eastern DR Congo

This article by Byolenganya Olo Bernoulli aims to provide a comprehensive and engaging presentation of Community Support Center, CSC-Asbl’s work, focusing on the P4PM (Play for Peace and Mental Support) program and its role in promoting gender equality through sports. It highlights the challenges faced by the organization and calls for collaboration and partnership to support their mission. (Published in English 240529.)

Book Reviews

FC Barcelona: History, Politics and Identity, by Jim O’Brien, Xavier Ginesta & Jordi de San Eugenio (eds.)

FC Barcelona: History, Politics and Identity, edited by Jim O’Brien, Xavier Ginesta and Jordi de San Eugenio (Routledge) is the first critical, in-depth academic study of FC Barcelona (also known as Barça), one of the world’s great football clubs, exploring the historical, political, cultural and commercial dimensions of this global sporting institution. Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen is our appreciative reviewer, and he lauds the idiographic approach. His only complaint is the missing chapter on El Clásico. (Review in English, published 240529.)

Virtual(ly) Women Athletes: A Study of Gendered Power Relations and Inequality in Sports-Themed Esports, by Egil Trasti Rogstad

Egil Trasti Rogstad’s doctoral thesis focuses on gendered power relations and inequality in sports-themed esports (esports based on sports simulation games). The male domination in traditional sports seem to be prevailing in the world of sports gaming. We invited Sanna Erdoğan, a feminist scholar in the field of sports coaching to read and review the thesis, and she does a thorough job of it, weighing the arguments and findings against the preconceived notions often associated with sex, gender and sports. (Review in English, published 240529.)

New on the Sport Scholars List

Greta Bladh, Mid Sweden University

With a Ph.D. in gender studies, Greta Bladh has taken an interest in what ways gender norms both enables and disables our moving bodies within sporting practices, such as within gym culture. As such, issues concerning inclusion and exclusion have been a focal point of departure, which also extends to a current project concerning public outdoor gyms in Sweden. Currently, Greta Bladh holds a position as lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in sociology at Mid Sweden University. (240527)

New Issues of Scholarly Journals

(We’re currently reviewing this service, since it’s a rather time-consuming undertaking. In the meanwhile we’re presenting some of the journals in line with the Forum’s core mission.)

• The Sport Psychologist, Volume 38, 2024, Issue 1 (240528)

News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)

• Ny forskning | E-sport utvecklas på samma sätt som längdskidor (240529)
• Vacancy | PhD Scholarship in logistics with focus on sport in sustainable urban development, to Molde University College | Apply no later than August 1, 2024 (240529)
• Call for Chapters | Body Cultures: Physicality, Space, and Moving Bodies | Call ends July 31, 2024 (240529)
• Call for Papers | “The history of sport in the Balkans: From Gymnastic-based movements to Physical Culture and Sport”, Special Issue of The International Journal of the History of Sport | Call ends September 20, 2024 (240529)
• Call for Papers | How Can Football Take on Tomorrow? The Football Collective Conference 2024 | Newcastle Civic Center, November 21–22, 2024. Call ends July 28, 2024 (240529)
• Call for Papers | Sport and Religion: The historical development from the nineteenth century onwards | Special Edition of European Studies in Sports History. Call ends July 31, 2024 (240531)