Elite sport: reification,instrumentalization and dignity

Elite sport is both worshipped disparaged. It is adored because athletes embody an ethical act of courage, self-sacrifice and fair play; it is criticized for too many scandals that plague and discredit it. Too often, athletes seem trapped in and crushed by a system much bigger than they are, a system that also compels them to do wrong, in a way that seems to instrumentalize them. But what is the real status of elite athletes? Does the system treat them with dignity in a manner that allows them to accept freely and voluntarily the end purpose of the record to be beaten that demands enormous sacrifices? This article considers how an analysis of the concept of human dignity can help us better understand the place of the athlete in this complex reality of elite sport.     

L’instrumentalisation managériale des espaces de délibération formels: l’expérience des enseignantes du préscolaire/primaire

This study examines formal deliberation spaces’ structure and how they translate into collegial work structures. Based on a critical experientialist work theory and a materialist feminist perspective it considers formal deliberation spaces and teachers’ lived experiences. The methodology relies on a qualitative research design involving 25 primary school teachers and individual and group interviews. The results show many mandatory formal deliberation spaces within the work organization and highlight the limited possibilities for teachers to deliberate their day-to-day experiences within these spaces. The findings render visible the process by which the structure of formal deliberation spaces can be moulded and instrumentalized to benefit the administration and render invisible teachers’ lived experience, leading to institutional silencing.