Spatialities of Anger: Emotional Geographies in a Boxing Program for Survivors of Violence

Abstract

The primary aim of this article is to begin to articulate the spatiality and sociality of emotion in an action research project called Shape Your Life, a project designed to teach recreational boxing to female and transgendered survivors of violence in Toronto. In particular, the article is a theoretical and empirical examination of anger, the dominant emotional response to injustice. A case is made for a spatially engaged approach to the study of anger as a politically meaningful response to violence and social injustice in the lives of survivors. Taking the anger of survivors of violence seriously provides a spotlight on the connection between the body, social space, and emotion. The article then draws from participants’ spatialities of anger to argue that anger has deep implications for people involved in unequal power relations and that anger can be used to impel change in the lives of survivors.

“We Are Prisoners in Our Own Homes”: Connecting the Environment, Gender-Based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights to Sport for Development and Peace in Nicaragua

“…As a result, various NGOs and practitioners attempted to develop SGD programs that use combative sports, such as boxing and martial arts, in combination with SRHR education campaigns and GBV-prevention strategies in order to empower women and girls with the knowledge and skills to feel safe [62]. Similarly, researchers have examined how self-defence sports are useful tools for empowering girls and women who have experienced violence in the global North countries [63][64][65][66][67]. These studies demonstrated that these initiatives enable the participants to actively negotiate and navigate aggression and violence in relation to their experiences with trauma.…”

Sporting Activities for Individuals Who Experienced Trauma During Their Youth: A Meta-Study

“…In total, 16 1 studies met the inclusion criteria and were critically analyzed using the meta-study methodology presented above. Ten studies examined the impacts of various interventions, which included boxing (van Ingen, 2011, 2016); the use of sport within a disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration camp for ex-combatants (Dyck, 2011); a sport and mental health intervention for a traumatized refugee from a war-torn country (Ley, Rato Barrio, & Koch, 2018); yoga (Rhodes, 2015); a sports-based youth development program for refugees (Whitley, Coble, & Jewell, 2016); and prison-based sport and fitness programs for youth offenders (Andrews & Andrews, 2003; Meek & Lewis, 2014; Parker, Meek, & Lewis, 2014; Van Hout & Phelan, 2014). The remaining six articles explored the role of sporting activities in naturalistic settings.…”

“…The remaining six articles explored the role of sporting activities in naturalistic settings. Seven studies were conducted with individuals who had experienced trauma (Ley et al, 2018; Massey & Whitley, 2016; Ratcliff, Farnworth, & Lentin, 2002; Rhodes, 2015; van Ingen, 2011, 2016; Whitley, Massey, & Wilkison, 2016); five studies included participants who had been displaced, had been exposed in warfare, or were in potentially traumatizing events such as natural disasters or extreme community violence (Dyck, 2011; Sobotova, Safarikova, & Gonzalez Martinex, 2016; Spaaij, 2015; Thorpe, 2016; Whitley, Coble, & Jewell, 2016); and four studies were specific to youth who had disruptions in caregiving as evidence by their placement in the criminal justice systems (Andrews & Andrews, 2003; Meek & Lewis, 2014; Parker et al, 2014; Van Hout & Phelan, 2014). Overall, differences in theoretical and methodological approaches emerged across (and to a smaller degree within) these groupings and are discussed in further detail below.…”

“…In considering the methodological procedures of the included studies, seven articles included sufficient detail to appraise methodological coherence (Ley et al, 2018; Massey & Whitley, 2016; Rhodes, 2015; Sobotova et al, 2016; van Ingen, 2011, 2016; Whitley, Massey, & Leonetti, 2016). Notably, within these studies, the research questions and procedures were aligned with philosophical underpinnings of the work; the role of the researcher was discussed; sampling procedures were explained; the authors provided sufficient details and rationale to judge the data collection and analysis procedures; these procedures were appropriate for the chosen methodology; and there were meaningful connections between the methodology employed and the presentation of the findings.…”

“…have been displaced, abused, or subject to extreme forms of violence. VanIngen (2011) examined the role of anger in female and trans survivors of gender-based violence within the context of a (non-combative) boxing program. Specifically, Van Ingen argued in defence of anger as a productive emotion and response to the social-cultural-and personal consequences of gender-based violence.…”