COLLECTIVE MEMORY WORK IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

One novel and yet under-utilized participatory and praxis-oriented methodology in sport and physical activity is collective memory work. Developed initially by Frigga Haug and colleagues as an approach to understanding women’s socialization experiences, memory work has since been taken up in areas such as psychology and emotion, education and pedagogy, and notably in collective biography. The feminist-rooted methodology involves small groups of researcher/participants who share, discuss, write, and analyze their memories for the purpose of interrogating taken-for-granted assumptions about and power dynamics immersed within our pasts, relationships, and selves around a common focus. To stimulate further use of memory work in sport and physical activity, this chapter focuses upon the practical processes of conducting memory work with participants - that is, how memories are worked (analyzed) amongst a group. The structure of this chapter is as follows: (1) introduction of the methodology and key terms in memory work analyses; (2) the methodology’s development, key authors, and disciplinary uptake; (3) a flexible approach to analyzing memories; (4) a discussion of examples from our work; and (5) reflections on analytical challenges (e.g., power dynamics, authorship, creativity, and representation) and possibilities within sport and physical activity research.