An Ethnographic Account of an Academic Career

The cross-disciplinary journey started in the field of Physical Education, with various movement-related publications and a focus on dance education, choreography and dance ethnology. Anthropology in dance and sport became a focus for numerous publications. The socialization of the elite African athlete (at All Africa Games) and the dehumanizing face of poverty in terms of multi-faced manifestations of violence became a critical discourse. Ethnographic accounts and innovative mixed method approaches were utilized to put the plight of marginalized populations on the agenda for change (e.g. gender, children and impoverished communities). Numerous national impact studies and the development of the S•DIAT (Sport in Development Impact Assessment Tool) paved the way for more than 80 publications, key note presentations and impact assessments for the government sector, development agencies and the corporate sector (CSI). Strategic and Participation Action Research are most recent endeavours where research itself has a potential for facilitating agency and become relevant to inform discourses (development of grounded theoretical concepts), practices and decision-makers.