This special issue Indigenous Voices Matter: Theory, Practice & Research in Sport for Development
seeks to probe, deconstruct, and contest current sport for development (SFD) discourse related to Indigenous voices, providing more nuanced understandings in the SFD space. Indigenous peoples, based on the United Nations’ understanding of Indigenous, are holders of unique languages, knowledge systems and beliefs, and have a special relationship with land. Indigenous peoples hold their own diverse concepts of development, based on their traditional values, visions, needs and priorities. However, Indigenous scholarship remains marginalized in many disciplines due to a lack of acceptance and understanding of other forms of knowledge, and how such knowledge is produced and shared. We look to consider Indigenous concepts and theoretical understandings embodied in SFD research and practices. Research topics and themes may include, but are not limited to:
- Indigenous and/or post-colonial critiques of SFD theory, research, and practice;
- Place-based SFD approaches;
- SFD intersections with health, education, gender, youth development, disability, conflict, and peace;
- Examples of Indigenous resistance, reclamation, identity, or social movements;
- Sport as a vehicle for Indigenous reconciliation;
- Feminist Indigenous insights;
- Insights from Indigenous methodologies and methods when doing research in the field of SFD;
- Specific Indigenous approaches to monitoring & evaluation in SFD;
- SFD stakeholder management which centers Indigeneity;
- Indigenous informed management approaches to SFD;
- Indigenous informed program design and implementation: challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities;
- Collaborative examples between Indigenous organizations, and/or Government, NGOs, and the Private Sector;
- Government and policy impacts on Indigenous SFD programs;
- Facilitating Indigenous community participation and empowerment via SFD;
- Indigenous approaches towards local community capacity building via SFD;
- Developing SFD Indigenous organizational capacity;
- Settler/Indigenous SFD partnerships;
The link between Ancestral land to holistic (physical, spiritual, emotional, economic and social) wellbeing being central to collective physical and cultural survival.
