Applying participant observation to the practice of sports: the body of the researcher as “instrument of cognition” Aleksey Zinovyev Glasgow, Centre for Russian, Central and East European Studies

Introduction Participant observation as a «way to cognize» Example 1. Parkour. Project of Center for Youth Studies – “New youth solidarity". Example 2. Fighting Club. Project of Center for Youth Studies – “Innovative Potential of Russia's Young People: solidarities, activism and civic responsibility”.

Three levels in researches of sports. Level 1. Beginning of involving in sport. Interest for researcher: an influence of various social features on involvement in sports activities; sports preferences in different social groups. Level 2. Analysis of sports` influence. Interest for researcher: positive or negative effects related to sports. Level 3. Specifics of different sports practices. “Black Box”.

Inside the "Black Box" Sports practice as a specific “body technique” (M. Moss) Knowledge, that exists only in activity Interest for researcher: “habitus of a sportsman” (P. Bourdieu) “Social sense in sport” and “sports routine” “Using body as an instrument of cognition”: passing a “way of a beginner”

Case “Parkour in St. Petersburg”. Parkour as an example of “lifestyle sports” The main purpose of my research: to analyze a process of developing Parkour in St. Petersburg Method of research: participant observation (participation in street training) and semi- structured interviews

Case “Fight Club in St. Petersburg”. Four Fight Clubs: Russian Fighting Club (RFC), “Palahniuk”, Female Fight Club (FFC) and fight club analyzed by me. Specific characteristics: free of charge trainings, rules of fight agreed among participants, group’s fight. Method of research: participant observation (participation in training and group’s fight) and semi-structured interviews

Construction of a body in Parkour: flexible and powerful Main task: to create a “universal body”. Stages of construction a body: - -re-socialization of standard techniques - -socialization of a body - -training combining elements

Constructing a body in Fight club: battle-hardened Main task: to gain an experience of real fight Close as possible to “street fight”

Street as a «teacher»: new vision, new norms Specificity of urban space: - -not prepared for parkour`s practices - -space of power - -public space “Vision of Parkour” Idea of one's own uniqueness Traceur’s norms of movement

Fight Club: between street and ring Social regulation of violence: - -formal norms - -informal norms Specific habitus of fight club`s member: case of the group fight with football hooligans

Fight Club: Men's Club “Real men's club”: case of girl-fighter Fight club that protects traditional masculinity This idea of protection as a basis of the club: protect ones you love, protect brothers from club, protect norms and values

Conclusion: using body for cognizing Difficulties: - -high degree of risk for the researcher - -risk of immersion in the field Returning a body in the sociology of sport