‘For those few minutes you are free’: The meaning of sport from imprisoned men's perspective

IF 2.5 3区教育学 Q2 HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM

International Review for the Sociology of Sport Pub Date : 2023-11-29 DOI:10.1177/10126902231217186

Johannes Müller

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Abstract

Based on an ethnographic study in a German prison, this article explores the question of what meaning incarcerated men attach to sport in light of the loss of freedom and autonomy which according to Sykes are particular ‘pains of imprisonment’. The material shows the following: (1) Incarceration is perceived by imprisoned men as a life under duress and proves to be a stark contrast to life outside prison due to the limited freedom of movement, action and decision making. (2) Sport is a means for incarcerated men to bring back memories of being free and to mentally escape into the time before imprisonment. (3) Sport is one of the few opportunities for imprisoned men to spend time in fresh air, which results in a physically–sensually experienced liberation. (4) Participation in sports enables the incarcerated to temporarily regain freedom of action and decision making. Overall, the findings indicate that sport can best be understood as a help in coping with incarceration. It is concluded from the findings that imprisoned men attach their own meanings to sport, largely detached from the function of sport ascribed by the institution (such as rehabilitation and health promotion).

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在那几分钟里，你是自由的"：从被监禁男子的角度看体育的意义

根据在德国一所监狱进行的人种学研究，本文探讨了被监禁的男性在失去自由和自主权的情况下对体育的意义，根据赛克斯（Sykes）的观点，失去自由和自主权是 "监禁的痛苦"。材料显示了以下几点：(1) 被监禁男子认为监禁是一种受胁迫的生活，由于行动、活动和决策的自由受到限制，这与监狱外的生活形成了鲜明的对比。(2) 体育是被监禁者唤回自由记忆的一种手段，也是他们从精神上逃离监禁前生活的一种方式。(3) 体育运动是被监禁男子在新鲜空气中度过的为数不多的机会之一，从而使他们在身体和精神上获得解放。(4) 参与体育运动可使被监禁者暂时恢复行动和决策自由。总之，研究结果表明，体育可被理解为帮助人们应对监禁的最佳方式。研究结果得出的结论是，被监禁的男子对体育赋予了他们自己的意义，这在很大程度上脱离了监所赋予体育的功能（如改造和促进健康）。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Review for the Sociology of Sport Multiple-

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

13.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Review for the Sociology of Sport is a peer reviewed academic journal that is indexed on ISI. Eight issues are now published each year. The main purpose of the IRSS is to disseminate research and scholarship on sport throughout the international academic community. The journal publishes research articles of varying lengths, from standard length research papers to shorter reports and commentary, as well as book and media reviews. The International Review for the Sociology of Sport is not restricted to any theoretical or methodological perspective and brings together contributions from anthropology, cultural studies, geography, gender studies, media studies, history, political economy, semiotics, sociology, as well as interdisciplinary research.