Global and local methodological and ethical questions in researching football academies in Ghana

Dubinsky, Itamar

doi:10.1080/14733285.2016.1249823

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The founder of KuSA and its participants declined to be anonymized. Doing so echoes a growing understanding in the literature on the importance of respecting the informed consent of young research subjects (Dubinsky, 2017). Unlike Dubinsky 2's decision, Levy used pseudonyms when discussing children and youth.…”

Section: Declaration Of Conflicting Interestsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Forever young: Institution-based waithood among youth in Ghana and South Africa

Levy

Dubinsky

2023

Time & Society

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As the scholarship on youth grows, so does the focus on the predicaments youth face increases. In particular, the phenomenon of waithood, which refers to a prolonged period of transition from youth to adulthood, has been attracting much attention from researchers. This article builds upon this growing literature by examining the roles that soccer academies in Ghana and shelters for unaccompanied young migrants in South Africa play in creating, sustaining, and spreading the waithood of youth. Even though both institutions operate in different spaces and promote distinct activities, they share a mutual goal by presenting themselves as educational stepping stones for a better present and future for African youths. Nevertheless, given the gaps between what both institutions claimed to provide and what they provided in reality, we argue that they served as the root of waithood for their young residents. As the following ethnography reveals, with worsening basic living conditions, infrequent access to school, and unattainable dreams about universities and European soccer leagues, many youths in shelters and academies were left incapable of assuming adult responsibilities and enjoying adult privileges. Our findings suggest that, unlike common perception of waithood as a phenomenon that takes place after school and before formal employment, waithood is also an institution-based phenomenon that can be facilitated within the education system. Simultaneously, in contrast to the common scholarly portrayals of waithood as an individual experience, we argue that waithood is a communal social phenomenon. At South African shelters and Ghanaian academies, the period of suspension and the prolonged journey to adulthood trickled-down to wider social and familial circles. The youth's efforts to seek alternative paths for adulthood, as well as the support they get from relatives and friends, reduces the loneliness of their waithood, though their contributions are hampered by local economic and political challenges.

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Section: Declaration Of Conflicting Interestsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Forever young: Institution-based waithood among youth in Ghana and South Africa

Levy

Dubinsky

2023

Time & Society

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“…Adopting an approach that regards children as powerful subjects, we believe that we must respect their requests with regard to both privacy and anonymity. For a more in-depth examination of the ethical issues that arose in the course of this research and reflections on the validity of the interview data, see Dubinsky (2017).…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goal dreams: conflicting development imaginaries in Ghanaian football academies

Dubinsky

Schler

2019

J. Mod. Afr. Stud.

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Focusing on three Ghanaian football academies, this article examines the role that dreams and aspirations play in shaping development schemes and in determining their impact. Football ignites the hopes and imaginations of entrepreneurs, aspiring players, their parents and supporters, and these aspirations serve as a blueprint for action both among founders and participants of academies. Imagined futures give birth to development initiatives, attracting participants, and providing them with opportunities to articulate their own aspirations. The following examination argues that it is vital for researchers and practitioners to understand how a variety of imagined futures comes into play in development schemes, as the conflicts and negotiations between divergent imaginaries can explain why individuals engage with development, how schemes evolve and how they leave their mark upon communities.

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Reciprocity in Research Relationships: Learning from Imbalances

Lücking

2019

Theory and History in the Human and Social Sciences

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Global and local methodological and ethical questions in researching football academies in Ghana

Cited by 4 publications

References 21 publications

Forever young: Institution-based waithood among youth in Ghana and South Africa

Forever young: Institution-based waithood among youth in Ghana and South Africa

Goal dreams: conflicting development imaginaries in Ghanaian football academies

Reciprocity in Research Relationships: Learning from Imbalances

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