Narrative and discursive perspectives on athletic identity: Past, present, and future

Abstract

Objectives: The dominant role-based conceptualisations of athletic identity have recently been challenged in favour of theoretical perspectives that view identity as a complex cultural construction. In the present study, we analysed empirical studies on athletic identity positioned in narrative and discursive approaches to gain an insight into the use and subsequent contribution of these approaches to knowledge production in this research topic. Design and method: A total of 23 articles, of which 18 narrative studies and five discursive studies, were identified in a systematic literature search. We used the meta-study method to analyse these studies in terms of basic assumptions, methodologies, and findings. Results: Early narrative studies focused on biographical disruption in career termination and/or severe injury, whereas more recent studies examined the impact of different identity narratives on athletes' well-being and career decisions. Discursive studies examined the multiple ways in which dominant understandings of gender, age, and the athletic body are (re)produced and normalised within sporting cultures and institutions and can act to constrain athletes to certain identities and practices. Both approaches highlighted that elite sport culture offers limited narrative resources or subject positions for athletes, and can endanger athletes' well-being if they are unable to comply with dominant ideals of being an athlete. Conclusions: Narrative and discursive approaches have advanced understandings of the constitutive role of sporting culture in athletic identity formation. Future research should 20 continue exploring athletic identity in various physical cultural contexts and seek to identify 21 alternative narratives and discourses that may enable athletes to construct more adaptive 22 identities.

The junior to senior transition: a narrative analysis of the pathways of two Swedish athletes

“…Traditionally, athletic identity has been viewed from a positivist perspective (e.g. Franck, Stambulova, and Weibull 2016a;Franck, Stambulova, and Ivarsson 2016b), but recently, the view has shifted (Schinke and McGannon 2015;Ronkainen, Kavoura, and Ryba 2016) to considering athletic identity as a complex cultural construct with different layers (e.g. nationality, gender, education, sport type).…”

“…Although in previous narrative career research different forms of narrative analysis have been used (e.g. Carless 2008; Carless and Douglas 2009;Ronkainen, Kavoura, and Ryba 2016), we chose to use the holistic-form structural analysis (Smith 2016), which we considered the most suitable to meet the aim of the study. This analysis focuses not so much on what is in the narratives, but on how the narratives are told, meaning the structure and form of the narratives.…”

Navigating the athlete role: identity construction within New Zealand’s elite sport environment

“…In particular, it would be valuable for researchers to examine how the underlying principles of power and surveillance have shaped carded athletes' identities in greater depth. Specifically, Ronkainen et al (2016) suggests that in order to facilitate and expand upon viable alternatives we must first deconstruct those discourses which currently constrain athletes' identities. In so doing, researchers could also draw upon the views and experiences of other entities within the carding programme (e.g., coaches, high performance managers etc.).…”

Individual Pathways Through the Junior-to-Senior Transition: Narratives of Two Swedish Team Sport Athletes

“…A qualitative narrative approach has been used in several previous studies on athletes' careers and transitions (e.g., Busanich et al, 2014;, 2013aFranck, 2018). These studies described career or transition pathways and focused on athletes' identities as complex cultural constructs (e.g., Ronkainen, Kavoura, & Ryba, 2016;Schinke & McGannon, 2015) having multiple layers (e.g., nationality, gender, education, sport event). In this sense, identities can also be understood as fluid and as being constructed in the athletes' social contexts (Carless & Douglas, 2013b).…”