This presentation concerns the intersectionality between religion, ethnicity and gender in physical education (PE). Previous research within this area has almost exclusively focused Muslim ethnic-minority girls. There is less research concerning how, and in which specific situations, these categories affect the PE practice. As a response, the purpose of this presentation is to propose a pragmatic framework to, from an intersectional perspective, investigate situations when religion, ethnicity and gender have a function in PE.  

Due to ongoing globalization- and migration processes, several Western European countries have become increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-religious. Naturally, these demographic changes have also caused increasing ethnic and religious diversity in many schools. Research concerning diversity in PE has, though, for a long time mainly focused gender (see Flintoff & Scraton 2006 for an overview in this area). We know less about other variables, such as ethnicity and religion (see e.g. Flintoff 2015, 2014, Benn et al. 2011). Furthermore, Penney (2002) notes that PE research tend to investigate diversity through ‘single issue’ research, i.e. focusing either gender or ethnicity et cetera. Accordingly, several authors within the field call for intersectional approaches (e.g. Benn et al. 2011, Flintoff et al. 2008). However, Flintoff et al. remind us that intersectionality can be a problematic concept, partly because it “raise[s] questions about whether all categories are equally important at all times” (2008 p. 75). More recently, the intersectionality between religion, ethnicity and gender has been recognized as an important research area (e.g. Stride 2014, Walseth 2013, Benn et al. 2011). This research has, though, almost exclusively focused Muslim ethnic-minority girls. Positively, there is a growing knowledge concerning this group. On the other hand, we know little about how, and in which specific situations, these categories affect the PE practice. We also know little about what categories that become important in certain situations (cf. Flintoff et al. 2008). As a response, I propose a pragmatic framework to, from an intersectional perspective, investigate situations when religion, ethnicity and gender have a function in PE.

The presentation draws upon the pragmatic philosophy of John Dewey (for similar approaches in PE research, see e.g. Quennerstedt 2013, Quennerstedt et al. 2011). Dewey (1929/2013) criticizes that divisions/categorizations (e.g. mind-world, subject-object) have been regarded as ontological starting points for human experience. In contrast, he argues that we, in immediate experience, recognizes the world as an “an unanalyzed totality” and that divisions/categorizations are “products discriminated by reflection” (Dewey 1929/2013, p. 8). Following Dewey, there are no metaphysical categories like religion, ethnicity and gender that form the starting point for experience. These are rather ‘products’ of inquiry. Hence, using Dewey’s understanding of experience provides a certain intersectional approach. Furthermore, Dewey rejects that meaning is to be found “out there” in objects, events or categories per se. Rather, he argues that meaning emerges when humans act in the environment, in processes he calls transactions (Dewey & Bentley 1949/1991). Following Dewey, meaning is not the starting point, but an outcome of transaction. By using a transactional understanding of meaning, religion, ethnicity and gender are not regarded as metaphysical starting points, but outcomes of participants (trans)actions. Thus, investigating situations when religion, ethnicity and gender have a function in PE do not concern what these categories Are, but how and when they become relevant in PE as a consequence of participants actions. Since the primary interest is not specific groups or students (e.g. Muslim girls), but situations, it becomes possible to investigate how religion, ethnicity and gender affect the PE practice. Furthermore, for who the categories may have a function is not a starting point, but an empirical question.

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