Karin Jemima Andersson | Malmö University (original) (raw)

Conference Talks by Karin Jemima Andersson

Scoping study: Sport for Development in the Swedish context and what role do Swedish Sport for Development organisations play in society, 2022

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH FITNESS: WORKING OUT EMBODIED NEOLIBERALISM WITHIN GROUP FITNESS INSTRUCTORS, 2020

Personal health is allegedly in constant jeopardy (Crawford 2006, 406), accordingly, working out... more Personal health is allegedly in constant jeopardy (Crawford 2006, 406), accordingly, working out and self-surveying the body is construed as a responsible choice that benefits the individual as well as society. This study explores how the seemingly contradictory concepts personal authenticity and standardization are embodied, negotiated, and articulated in the everyday lives of group fitness instructors.
The methodology chosen is a qualitative mixed-method approach consisting of fieldwork, an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and group discussions.
The outcomes show that authenticity seems to be a crucial, yet, ambiguous teaching skill takes seriously how personal micro-empowerment might reinforce structures of inequality.

Keywords — Physical Culture, Standardization, Healthism, Fitness, Authenticity, Belonging

Papers by Karin Jemima Andersson

The concept of health is culturally contingent, and fitness practices provide a venue to gain ins... more The concept of health is culturally contingent, and fitness practices provide a venue to gain insights into the construction of health. In this case study-based article, I focus on group fitness instructors' narratives on healthiness and fitness rituals. By combining Foucault's notion of the 'microphysics of power' and the socio-cultural phenomenon healthism, I employ a genealogical approach that reveals how healthism renders a discursive space for group fitness instructors ('local fitness experts') to navigate their understanding of health norms. A qualitative method consisting of 22 semistructured interviews was used. Group fitness instructors teaching in Austria for a global group fitness distributor (Les Mills) were interviewed. The results show that eliminating risks to health is the highest imperative to the instructors, which is traced back to a dichotomy between 'disciplined training' and 'fun training', where fun training is seen as feminine and risky. Furthermore, instructors underline their health literacy through skeptical consumerism-choosing health for the sacrifice of fun or finding fun in the fatigue.

The CHANGE project will contribute to the promotion of integrity and values in sport by focusing ... more The CHANGE project will contribute to the promotion of integrity and values in sport by focusing on promoting and improving good governance in sport. The organised sport movement will be equipped to adopt innovative governance approaches, tailored for grassroots sports, to build sustainable and innovative ways to tackle present and future challenges. The main aim of the project is to develop an educational programme on innovation and change management within the organised sports movement. The programme will focus on building resilience and environmental, economic and social sustainability by focusing on: Digitalisation, Inclusion/Engagement and Sustainability. A group of experts will gather a comprehensive overview of best practices and create an interactive programme that will support the European grassroot sport movement in their work to build sustainable and innovative ways to tackle present and future challenges.

Social Sciences, 2021

Time out : global perspectives on sport and the Covid-19 lockdown, 2021

Authors: Karin Andersson, Ulrike Vogl & Jesper Andreasson On the 11th of March 2020, the ... more Authors: Karin Andersson, Ulrike Vogl & Jesper Andreasson On the 11th of March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the coronavirus to be a pandemic, which is followed by strict measures to contain a spread of the disease. Yet, COVID-19 is a distinctively different pandemic to the one that was declared in 2012, namely, physical inactivity (Hall & Laddy & Philipps et al. 2020, 1). During the corona related lockdowns, exercising at home employing (online) on-demand services has become increasingly popular. One of the suppliers are the New Zealand-based Les Mills International; currently the worlds’ biggest provider of standardized fitness workouts. With their altruistic motto — for a fitter planet — their exercise routines were taught in more than a hundred countries by approximately 130.000 instructors before the pandemic. Although their virtual alternatives seem successful, group-fitness instructors face severe professional consequences due to corona-restrictions; resulting in the immediate closure of gyms as well as social distancing. By conducting focused group discussions online with Les Mills instructors active in six different countries, this chapter will provide insights into how group-fitness instructors negotiate their roles as fitness professionals during a crisis that challenges/threatens both personal and global health. Respondents discussed how the pandemic has changed their ability to perform their professions, and how they continue to live out their instructorhood in new and alternative ways.

Choosing to stay fit? Glocalized ideologies of health and fitness during a pandemic, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related measurements have challenged physical activity in various w... more The COVID-19 pandemic and its related measurements have challenged physical activity in various ways, ranging from closed fitness facilities to virtual curfews. Correspondingly, there is currently a rising scholarly interest in investigating how people have navigated their physical activ

Being a Group Fitness Instructor during the COVID-19 Crisis: Navigating Professional Identity, Social Distancing, and Community, 2021

Research question and purpose: Les Mills is a New Zealand-based fitness distributor with a commun... more Research question and purpose: Les Mills is a New Zealand-based fitness distributor with a community consisting of approximately 140.000 instructors worldwide who teach standardized work- out routines. This paper aims to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic and related measurements, such as social distancing affect the everyday lives and professions of Les Mills International (LMI) group fitness instructors. The aim was met with the following research questions: RQ1: How are social distancing and social connectedness understood, and how do they condition LMI instructors’ understanding of their profession? RQ2: What do LMI instructors think about the #LesMillsUnited campaign to maintain a strong trainer community in the midst of the pandemic? RQ3: How do LMI instructors think that group fitness will change long term due to social distancing? Research methods: Using qualitative measures and a case-study-based approach, data were gathered through interviews with LMI-certified group fitness instructors. Seven semi-structured focused group dis- cussions with fifteen group fitness instructors from different countries were conducted and audio recorded. The first round of virtual discussions took place in April 2020, and the follow-up talks in September 2020. A thematic analysis was employed to analyze the material. Results and findings: According to the participants, online classes as a means of upholding group fitness in times of social distancing is an insufficient substitute to face-to-face instructing, lacking social connectedness that is normally maintained through successful rituals or social scripts. Navigating “instructorhood” during the pandemic includes emotional labor where not only relationships to clients are challenged, but instructors also experience societal pressure to reinvent themselves as instructors. Implications: With no way of telling how long social distancing needs to be practiced, the group fitness industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Making sense of the group fitness profession currently preoccupies instructors who may now have to redefine to themselves how they can teach, and who for.

Idrotten och friluftslivet under coronapandemin Resultat från två undersökningar om coronapandemins effekter på idrott, fysisk aktivitet och friluftsliv, 2021

Mot bakgrund av coronapandemins utbrott våren 2020 beslutade styrelsen för Mistra Sport & Outdoor... more Mot bakgrund av coronapandemins utbrott våren 2020 beslutade styrelsen för Mistra Sport & Outdoors att bevilja medel till tre projekt för att öka kunskapen om pandemins effekter på idrotten och friluftslivet. Syftet med projekten är att skapa kunskapsunderlag som den redan planerade forskningen i Mistra Sport & Outdoors kan dra nytta av, dels i processen med att identifiera utmaningar, dels i de lärandegrupper som startar sitt arbete under 20211. I föreliggande rapport redovisas resultaten från det projekt som ser närmare på utövande av idrott, fysisk aktivitet och friluftsliv.

Authors: Karin Andersson, Ulrike Vogl & Jesper Andreasson On the 11th of March 2020, the World He... more Authors: Karin Andersson, Ulrike Vogl & Jesper Andreasson
On the 11th of March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the coronavirus to be a pandemic, which is followed by strict measures to contain a spread of the disease. Yet, COVID-19 is a distinctively different pandemic to the one that was declared in 2012, namely, physical inactivity (Hall & Laddy & Philipps et al. 2020, 1). During the corona related lockdowns, exercising at home employing (online) on-demand services has become increasingly popular. One of the suppliers are the New Zealand-based Les Mills International; currently the worlds’ biggest provider of standardized fitness workouts. With their altruistic motto — for a fitter planet — their exercise routines were taught in more than a hundred countries by approximately 130.000 instructors before the pandemic. Although their virtual alternatives seem successful, group-fitness instructors face severe professional consequences due to corona-restrictions; resulting in the immediate closure of gyms as well as social distancing. By conducting focused group discussions online with Les Mills instructors active in six different countries, this chapter will provide insights into how group-fitness instructors negotiate their roles as fitness professionals during a crisis that challenges/threatens both personal and global health. Respondents discussed how the pandemic has changed their ability to perform their professions, and how they continue to live out their instructorhood in new and alternative ways.

Voices from closed stadiums: The corona crisis as a potential vehicle for sports development, 2020

In order to gain a deeper understanding of how the governmental measurements affected movement, e... more In order to gain a deeper understanding of how the governmental measurements affected movement, exercising habits, and the conditions for sport clubs, to both exercisers, sport-supporters, and trainers living in Sweden, a project called “Voices from closed stadiums: The corona crisis as a potential vehicle for sports-development” was initiated. The purpose of the study is to report on how sport and exercise is affected, currently performed, and navigated both from a larger perspective — macro level — and on a lived individual micro level. The insights of the study will shed light on how class, age, dwelling, and gender have an impact on recreational habits, physical activity, and consumer choices, during the corona pandemic; paramount data that maps the re-organization of everyday life during a crisis.

Book Chapters by Karin Jemima Andersson

Books by Karin Jemima Andersson