Papers by Ejgil Jespersen
Dansk Sociologi, Aug 23, 2006
Sport Ethics and Philosophy, 2009
ABSTRACT In this paper we will use Mount Obstacle as a metaphor to lay out a third way in disabil... more ABSTRACT In this paper we will use Mount Obstacle as a metaphor to lay out a third way in disability research, between dominant approaches guided by the ’medical model’ and the ’social model’ (Jespersen & McNamee, 2008). We will present this third way as a necessary alternative if we are to understand the meaning of participation in adapted physical activity and disability sport. A first step on this way is to acknowledge that the meaning of Mount Obstacle is not given in itself. This is in accordance with Merleau-Ponty’s (1962) analysis of human freedom, where he described how a mountain can only be perceived as climbable or unclimbable in relation to human projects and abilities. So there are several ways in which Mount Obstacle can be experienced by human beings, and in this perspective we are going to argue that the ’medical model’ of disability implies assisting ‘normal functioning’ to ease the way to the summit of Mount Obstacle. The ’social model’ of disability on the other hand implies removing Mount Obstacle to secure participation for everyone. Without neglecting that both perspectives can be relevant, we are going to argue that both mirrors what Kretchmar (2006) has described as ”life on Easy Street”, because neither of them allows understanding the potential value of climbing Mount Obstacle. It is therefore relevant to pursue a third way that acknowledge how the dis-ease related to obstacles can be experienced as meaningful, rather than something to get rid of. To do this we will analyze various kinds of human meaning that can be found on Mount Obstacle, departing from two key positions: First, Camus (1967) used The Myth of Sisyphus to describe how the experience of obstacles is a human condition. In cases of disability this condition is of course more evident, but the task is still to create meaning from this absurd condition. Sisyphus is to Camus an ’absurd hero’ because he is aware of and acknowledges the challenge that he is condemned to. This means that the struggle to overcome the necessary obstacle can become a meaningful pursuit, wherefore Camus concluded: ”The struggle to reach the summits is enough to fill a human heart. One has to conceive of Sisyphus as a happy man.” (ibid., p 117, our translation) Secondly, human beings are also free to choose our own mountain to climb. In fact, we tend to do so all the time and the reason why this makes sense can be illustrated by Suits’ (2005) classical treatise on game playing. By choosing to climb Mount Obstacle the activity of climbing becomes an end in itself, which opens for experiencing the intrinsic value related to voluntarily attempting to overcome the unnecessary obstacle. In both cases life on Mount Obstacle can become the (play)ground for meaningful activity and together with Sloterdijk’s (2009) analysis of verticality and practice (Übung) we will use them to shed constructive light on the dis-ease of existence in general and participation in adapted physical activity and disability sport in particular.
Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 2014
ABSTRACT No abstract available for this article.
Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2015
Instead of having a disembodied and individualistic point of view, we suggest that autistic learn... more Instead of having a disembodied and individualistic point of view, we suggest that autistic learning has an embodied nature, and that the autistic experience of learning may actually be inherently meaningful for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These individuals strive to make sense of some basic disturbance and re-establish some form of coherence with the world, though this may only be possible in the form of delusions or autistic withdrawals. From an embodied learning point of view, it also makes sense how spontaneous imitation – but not instructed imitation – can boost the development of children with ASD. This perspective has important implications for the organization of physical education.
Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2015
The study focus upon how young people with mental problems are active in sports and physical acti... more The study focus upon how young people with mental problems are active in sports and physical activity and thus handle their problems in their own ways. While research in the field typically focuses narrowly on instrumental use of exercise and effects of a controlled intervention, we explore the lived experiences of physical activity and the meaning and relevance it has for individuals in their everyday lives. The findings are discussed in relation to the concept of recovery. The findings especially focus on exercise as a form of self-care strategy, as an opportunity to create social relationships, and as a way to become part of meaningful social activity.
Focus Tidsskrift For Idraet, 2012
In this paper we will use Mount Obstacle as a metaphor to lay out a third way in disability resea... more In this paper we will use Mount Obstacle as a metaphor to lay out a third way in disability research, between dominant approaches guided by the ’medical model’ and the ’social model’ (Jespersen & McNamee, 2008). We will present this third way as a necessary alternative if we are to understand the meaning of participation in adapted physical activity and disability sport. A first step on this way is to acknowledge that the meaning of Mount Obstacle is not given in itself. This is in accordance with Merleau-Ponty’s (1962) analysis of human freedom, where he described how a mountain can only be perceived as climbable or unclimbable in relation to human projects and abilities. So there are several ways in which Mount Obstacle can be experienced by human beings, and in this perspective we are going to argue that the ’medical model’ of disability implies assisting ‘normal functioning’ to ease the way to the summit of Mount Obstacle. The ’social model’ of disability on the other hand impli...
Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2015
Sport for All is a universal Olympic idea adopted by supranational institutions such as the Counc... more Sport for All is a universal Olympic idea adopted by supranational institutions such as the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the UN. Measures that need to be taken to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to be included in sport are analyzed and discussed based upon a survey of sports and exercise participation in Denmark with a special focus upon people with impairments. The prevailing point of view is a special needs approach to sports participation, whether it is oriented towards separate or integrated forms of organization. It is often unclear whether this approach is aiming for equality of outcome, equality of chance or just a minimum threshold for sports and exercise activity. However, if we adopt a universal approach to Sport for all, then the focus is not on differences among people, but upon the commonalities among human beings in light of their diversity. This approach is associated with the understanding of “universal design” in the UN‟s Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the WHO‟s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. In conclusion, it is highlighted that a more inclusive Sport for All movement is preferable to a segregated or integrated disability sport, provided the persons concerned have a say in every case.
Ugeskrift for laeger
The Danish Government Committee on Psychiatry states that recovery-oriented rehabilitation is an ... more The Danish Government Committee on Psychiatry states that recovery-oriented rehabilitation is an important framework and direction in psychiatry. Recovery-oriented rehabilitation means that the intervention is based on best practice. It is also based on four values: self-determination, person involvement, self-determination/choice and growth potential. A comprehensive national plan of action on how to develop a recovery-oriented rehabilitation to Danish citizens with mental disorders is recommended.
Adapted physical activity quarterly : APAQ, 2008
The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning that takes place when people with disab... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning that takes place when people with disabilities interact in a rehabilitation context. Data were generated through in-depth interviews and close observations in a 2 (1/2) week-long rehabilitation program, where the participants learned both wheelchair skills and adapted physical activities. The findings from the qualitative data analysis are discussed in the context of situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). The results indicate that peer learning extends beyond skills and techniques, to include ways for the participants to make sense of their situations as wheelchair users. Also, it was found that the community of practice established between the participants represented a critical corrective to instructions provided by rehabilitation professionals.
Ugeskrift for laeger, Jan 12, 2014
This article describes the core themes in modern rehabilitation and how it can be used in practic... more This article describes the core themes in modern rehabilitation and how it can be used in practice. The purpose of rehabilitation is an independent and meaningful life with the greatest possible functional ability. Rehabilitation goals will always be what matters most to the patient (not what health professionals think matters). The doctor's role includes clarification of biomedical issues, but also highlighting resources and barriers in relation to rehabilitation (including practical, economic and social barriers and resources).
Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 2009
Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 2011
This paper begins with the decisive moment of the 2010 Champions League final, as Diego Milito dr... more This paper begins with the decisive moment of the 2010 Champions League final, as Diego Milito dribbles past van Buyten to settle the score. By taking a closer look at this situation we witness a complex and ambiguous movement phenomenon that seems to transcend established phenomenological accounts of performance, as a creative performance such as this cannot be reduced to bodily self-awareness or absorbed skilful coping. Instead, the phenomenon of the feint points to a central question we need to ask when investigating performance in football: ‘How can one intentionally transcend the expectations of others?’ In order to clarify this, the paper will conduct a contextual analysis of a feint drawing on existential philosophy and phenomenology. The main argument is that the feint incarnates a fundamental and indispensable strategy in the game context of football and the analysis of it throws light on central existential phenomena involved in game creativity, with appearance, seduction, commitment and value being the focal ones. The analysis suggests a broader notion of expertise by pointing to the need of stressing the dynamic and social game context. What the feint explicates is that in football it is not enough to be aware of your own body or rely on your embodied habits. In order to cope in the game situation it is also necessary to be absorbed in the other and transcend his or her expectations. Este artículo comienza con el momento decisivo en la final de la Champions League de 2010, cuando Diego Milito regatea a van Buyten para ajustar cuentas. Al prestar más atención a esta situación somos testigos de un fenómeno de movimiento complejo y ambigüo que parece transcender las versiones fenomenológicas consolidadas sobre el rendimiento, ya que una jugada creativa como ésta no puede ser reducida a una autoconciencia corporal o a un rendimiento hábil ensimimado. En vez de esto, el fenómeno de la finta apunta hacia una cuestión básica que hemos de preguntar al investigar el rendimiento en el fútbol: “Cómo puede uno transcender intencionalmente las expectativas de otros?” Para clarificar esto el artículo llevará a cabo un análisis contextual de la finta, apoyándose en la filosofía existencial y la fenomenología. El argumento principal es que la finta encarna una estrategia fundamental e indispensable en el contexto de juego del fútbol, y que su análisis ilumina fenómenos existenciales clave implicados en la creatividad en el juego, de los cuales son clave la apariencia, la seducción y la dedicación. El análisis sugiere una noción de pericia más amplia que apunta a la necesidad de poner énfasis en el contexto dinámico y social del juego. Lo que la finta explica es que en el fútbol no es suficiente el ser consciente de tu propio cuerpo o el contar con los hábitos encarnados. Para salir al paso de una situación del juego también es necesario el ser absorbido por “el Otro” y el transcender sus expectativas.Dieser Artikel beginnt mit dem entscheidenden Moment des Champions-League-Finales von 2010, als Diego Milito an van Buyten vorbeidribbelte, um eine Rechnung zu begleichen. Durch einen genaueren Blick auf diese Situation werden wir Zeuge eines komplexen und mehrdeutigen Bewegungsphänomens, das bisherige phänomenologische Erklärungen von Leistung scheinbar überschreitet, da man eine kreative Leistung wie diese nicht auf Körperbewusstsein und Geschick reduzieren kann. Stattdessen verweist uns das Phänomen Finte auf eine zentrale Frage, die wir bei der Untersuchung von Leistung im Fußball stellen müssen: „Wie kann man absichtlich die Erwartungen anderer überwinden?” Um dies zu verdeutlichen, führe ich in diesem Artikel eine Kontextanalyse einer Finte unter Bezugnahme auf Existenzphilosophie und Phänomenologie durch. Das Hauptargument ist hier, dass die Finte ein grundlegendes und unverzichtbares Strategieelement im Fußballspiel darstellt. Durch ihre Analyse werden zentrale existenzielle Phänomene in Bezug auf die Spielkreativität beleuchtet, mit den Schwerpunkten Auftreten, Verführung und Einsatz. Die Analyse deutet auf ein weites Verständnis des Begriffs Expertise hin, verbunden mit dem Hinweis auf die Notwendigkeit, die Dynamik und den sozialen Kontext des Spiels zu beachten. Was die Finte verdeutlicht, ist, dass es im Fußball nicht ausreicht, sich auf sein Körpergefühl oder verinnerlichte Gewohnheiten zu verlassen. Um Spielsituationen bewältigen zu können, ist es außerdem notwendig, sich in den anderen hineinversetzen zu können und ihre oder seine Erwartungen zu überbieten.Cet article commence avec le moment décisif de la finale de 2010 de la Ligue des Champions, quand les dribbles de Diego Milito le font passer van Buyten et ouvrir le score. En regardant de plus près cette situation, nous sommes témoins d'un phénomène de mouvement complexe et ambigu qui semble dépasser les observations phénoménologiques habituelles de la performance, puisqu'une telle performance créative ne peut pas être réduite à une prise de conscience corporelle de soi-même ou relever d'une habileté intériorisée. Au contraire, le phénomène de la feinte renvoie à une question centrale que nous devons nous poser en examinant la performance dans le football : « Comment peut-on intentionnellement dépasser les attentes des d'autres ? » Afin de clarifier ceci, l'article conduira l'analyse contextuelle d'une feinte, en s'appuyant sur la philosophie existentielle et la phénoménologie. L'argument principal est que la feinte incarne une stratégie fondamentale et indispensable dans le contexte d'un match de football et son analyse jette la lumière sur des phénomènes existentiels centraux impliqués dans la créativité du jeu, avec l'apparition, la séduction et l'engagement comme points focaux. L'analyse suggère une notion plus large d'expertise en relevant l'importance de souligner la dynamique et le jeu social du contexte. Ce que la feinte explique est que dans le football il ne suffit pas d'être conscient de son propre corps ou de compter sur ses habitudes intériorisées. Pour performer dans la situation de jeu, il est également nécessaire d'être absorbé dans l'Autre et de dépasser ses attentes.
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Papers by Ejgil Jespersen