Layers of the Landscape: Representations and Perceptions of an Ordinary (Shared) Sports Landscape in a Haitian and Dominican Community

Abstract

Over the last decade, much research has assessed sport in relation to geographical perspectives of place, landscape, and identity. Using multiple qualitative methods, including mental maps, interviews and conversations, and participant observation, this inductive study attempts to better understand local perceptions of an everyday landscape. This work was conducted in Villa Ascension, a rural community in the Dominican Republic consisting of Haitian and Dominican residents. Football is a strong component of Haitian identity, and baseball is likewise important to Dominicans. Currently, the community has one site where two sports are actively played. Given the community's heterogeneous ethnic composition, Villa Ascension's sports landscape is recognised as having multiple layers of meaning. Knowledge produced in this case study revealed the emergent themes of perceived interpretations of ordinary landscapes, the forging of boundaries, communal relationships and support, and hazards and modification of limited spaces for play. The landscape being a layered one with multiple representations of place and identity, the Haitians' broader perceptions suggest that they view the site as a place of primary importance. Alternatively, the Dominicans are attempting to forge and maintain their sense of sporting identity in the landscape.

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“…The area of sports geography has experienced much growth in the past few years, with research engaging with a range of topical and critical debates concerning sport and geography independently, or sports geography interdependently (see Andrews 2017;Conner 2014;Cook et al 2016;Gaffney 2014;Koch 2017;Koch and Valiyev 2015;Lawrence 2016;Waite and Smith 2017;Wise 2014Wise , 2015aWise , 2015bWise , 2016Wise , 2017Wise and Hall 2017;Harris 2014, 2016). Earlier work, and also recent work, has focused on movement and (temporary) migration (Bale 2003;Bale and Maguire 1994;Waite and Smith 2017;Wise and Harris 2014) and sport and landscapes (Bale 1994;Gaffney 2008;Raitz 1995;Wise 2014). Whilst the early work contributed considerably to the foundational thought of sports geography, or sport and geography, related to this paper, there has been further critical development of work in this area focusing on sport and social/cultural geography (e.g.…”

“…Whilst the early work contributed considerably to the foundational thought of sports geography, or sport and geography, related to this paper, there has been further critical development of work in this area focusing on sport and social/cultural geography (e.g. Gaffney 2008;Wise 2014Wise , 2015b and geographies of place and identity (e.g. Lawrence 2016;Shobe 2008).…”