Bodily Democracy

Sport has gained increasing importance for welfare society. In this process, however, the term of 'sport' has become less and less clear. Larger parts of what nowadays is called 'sport for all' are non-competitive and derived from traditions of gymnastics, dance, festivity, games, outdoor activities, and physical training rather than from classical modern elite sports. This requires new philosophical approaches, as the philosophy of sport, so far, has been dominated by topics of elite sports. Based on Scandinavian experiences, the book presents studies about festivities of sport, outdoor activities, song and movement, and play and game. The engagement of elderly people challenges sports. Games get political significance in international cooperation, for peace culture and as means against poverty (in Africa). The empirical studies result in philosophical analyses on the recognition of folk practice in education and on relations between identity and recognition. The study of 'sport for all' opens up for new ways of phenomenological knowledge, moving bottom-up from sport to the philosophy of "the individual", of event, of nature, and of human energy. Popular sports give inspiration to a philosophy of practice as well as to a phenomenological understanding of 'the people', of civil society and the 'demos' of democracy - as folk in movement. This book was published as a special issue in Sport, Ethics and Philosophy.

Henning Eichberg is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Southern Denmark.

1. From Body-Culture to Philosophy: Thinking Bottom-Up - An Introduction Part 1: From Networks of Movement Culture to Conflicting Social Philosophies 2. Sport and Popular Movements: Towards a Philosophy of Moving People co-authored by Sigmund Loland 3. People's Academies and Sport: Towards a Philosophy of Bodily Education 4. Sport and the Workplace: Between Corporation and Co-Operation 5. Fitness on the Market: Forget 'The Single Individual'! Part 2: From Popular Practice to the Phenomenology of Body Cultures 6. Outdoor Activities and Landscaping: Understanding Natures in the Plural 7. Sport as Festivity: Towards a Phenomenology of the Event 8. Song and Movement: Phenomenology of Human 'Energy' 9. Traditional Games as New Games: Towards an Educational Philosophy of Play co-authored by Kit Norgaard 10. Sport and Laughter: Phenomenology of the Imperfect Human Being 11. Pull and Tug: Towards a Philosophy of the Playing 'You' 12. Sports in the Llife Cycle: Diversity in and of Ageing Part 3: From International Practice to People-to-People Dimensions 13. Inter-Ethnic Football at the Balkans: Reconciliation and Diversity co-authored by Anders Levinsen 14. Sport Co-Operation Between Denmark-Tanzania: Development and Recognition Part 4: From Bodily Practice to Living Democracy 15. Body, Soma - and Nothing Else? Diversity of Body Semantics 16. Sport and Ethics: Between Public, Civil and Private Logics 17. Education Through Sport: Towards Recognition of Popular Practice co-authored by Ejgil Jespersen 18. Bodily Democracy: Towards a Philosophy of Sport for All