News
The Professorship for Sport and Health Sociology has been represented since October 2024 by Dr. Jan Haut.
15th Meeting of the Transnational Working Group for the Study of Gender and Sport
From 14–16 October 2026, the "15th Meeting of the Transnational Working Group for the Study of Gender and Sport" will take place at the Institute of Sport Sciences. The conference is dedicated to the topic “20 Years of Gender in Sport – Progresses and Backlashes” and will be organized by the Gender Studies Department of GAU in cooperation with the Sport and Health Sociology Unit. Further information will be available soon here.
New staff member in the unit
We warmly welcome Pit Gorzolka, who from the winter semester 2025/26 will primarily take over courses in the area of sport and gender. He completed his bachelor's degree in sport science at the University of Paderborn, where he also worked in performance diagnostics. In his master's studies at Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel), he focused on questions in sport pedagogy and sport sociology. In his master's thesis “Masculinities in Sport,” he examined constructions and transformations of masculinity in the context of sport. His research interests lie in diversity studies in sport science, the sociology of the body, and sport development. His sporting interests include nature and adventure sports such as climbing, surfing, and kayaking, as well as ball sports such as basketball and beach volleyball. Further information can be found here.
New publication
For a new handbook on movement and sport in social work, Jan Haut, together with Sebastian Gehrmann, contributed a foundational chapter on the effects of social inequalities on sport behavior and the socialization into sport and physical activity. The contribution summarizes the current state of research on sport participation among adolescents and discusses implications for the practice of sport-related social work.
In an article in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly co-authored with Jonas Wibowo and Lasse Müller, the authors empirically investigated which information on the accessibility of sports facilities is helpful for users.
The handbook Theorien der Soziologie, which also contains a chapter by Jan Haut and Dieter Reicher on the sociology of Norbert Elias, is now also available in print.
Good practice teaching example: Seminar “Planning and Conducting a Research Project” (winter semester 2024/25)
The seminar “Planning and Conducting a Research Project” from the winter semester 2024/25 was recognized by the Faculty of Social Sciences—alongside other courses of the faculty—as a good practice teaching example.
Further details on the course concept by Anja Bosold (Sport and Health Sociology Unit) can be found at the following link: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/699373.html
Visit by female experts in the master's program
As part of the seminar "Organizations of Health Promotion," Laura Klocker visited on 03.06.2025 to present the Gesundheitsregion Göttingen/Südniedersachsen e.V. to students of the MA "Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Psychosocial Health." Fundamental tasks and current projects of the network were presented, and current challenges in health promotion were discussed. In addition, Ms. Klocker, herself an alumna of the Göttingen Institute of Sport Science program, provided interesting insights into her daily work and the path into this potential professional field for students.
Blurred boundaries: Martial arts and combat sports between cultural embodiment, pedagogical application, and political appropriation
12th Annual Conference of the dvs Commission “Martial Arts and Combat Sports” in cooperation with the Institute of Sport Sciences, the Centre for Modern East Asian Studies (CeMEAS), and the Central Facility for Sport and Health: 11–13 March 2025 at Georg-August University Göttingen
Conference report
From 11 to 13 March 2025, the 12th Annual Conference of the Commission “Martial Arts and Combat Sports” of the German Association for Sport Science (dvs) took place at the Institute of Sport Science at Georg-August University Göttingen.
This year's conference theme was:
“Blurred Boundaries: Martial Arts and Combat Sports between Cultural Embodiment, Pedagogical Application, and Political Appropriation.”
In the call for papers, a set of guiding questions was formulated that structured the thematic orientation of the conference:
- To what extent are collective and individual identities as well as ideologies embodied or incorporated in martial arts and combat sports practices?
- Which (sub)cultural or political logics and aesthetics influence the practice of martial arts and combat sports?
- To what extent are societal and political semantics reflected in artistic or media expressions related to martial arts?
- Which pedagogical approaches to the application of martial arts and combat sports exist, what theoretical influences do they follow, and in which fields of application do they come into play?
- Which historical or current examples of political appropriation or instrumentalization are documented, and which ideologies, structures, and aesthetics manifest themselves therein?
Around 50 participants from various academic disciplines responded to the invitation. In addition to guests from Germany, international participants from Belgium, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Japan also took part. The conference also generated great interest among students at Georg-August University Göttingen—especially at the Institute of Sport Science—particularly among those researching martial arts and combat sports as part of their theses.
The conference program included a combination of academic presentations, practical workshops, and a panel discussion (see program overview). Contributions were given in German or English. For German-language talks, the presentation slides were additionally provided in English to facilitate access for international guests.
The official opening was conducted by Dr. Martin Minarik, current spokesperson of the dvs Commission “Martial Arts and Combat Sports” and main organizer of the conference. Welcoming remarks were also given by Katja Pessl from the Centre for Modern East Asian Studies at Georg-August University Göttingen.
On the afternoon of the first day, four parallel presentation panels with two to three contributions each took place. The thematic foci were:
- Martial arts and combat sports in the context of political agendas
- Chinese martial arts and combat sports from cultural-historical and contemporary perspectives
- Martial arts-specific philosophies in instructional contexts
- Concrete educational initiatives in the field of martial arts and combat sports
In the evening, the commission meeting and an informal “get-together” followed. Four commission members and additional guests attended the meeting. In addition to a review of the past year, current developments were discussed and an outlook on upcoming events was provided (see meeting minutes).
The second day began with three practical workshops addressing various practice approaches in physical education teacher training, the performing arts, and therapeutic settings. This was followed by four more presentation panels with the following thematic orientations:
- Discourses in and about self-defense
- Habitus and gender constellations in martial arts and combat sports practice
- Martial arts and combat sports in physical education teacher training
- Didactic approaches and instructional concepts
The thematic highlight took place in the late afternoon with a panel discussion in the lecture hall of the Institute of Sport Science under the title:
“Culture-Combat(-Sport): On the influence of political and societal discourses on martial arts and combat sports in practice, pedagogy, and artistic-media representation.”
The discussion featured Dr. Martin Mayer (University of Vechta), Dr. Corinna Schmechel (Georg-August University Göttingen), Olaf Zajonc (IcanDo Institute / model project “Vollkontakt – Demokratie und Kampfsport”), and Franzy Deutscher (Professional Association for Intimacy Coordination and Fight Choreography e.V.). The discussion was moderated by Dr. Martin Minarik. The subsequent shared dinner continued the exchange on the topics discussed.
The third and final day of the conference comprised three presentations: Two addressed the cultivation of empathy in martial arts and combat sports. The concluding contribution picked up on the participants’ strong interest in the work of Olaf Zajonc and presented deeper insights into projects on combat sports in the context of political extremism in Germany.
To conclude, PD Dr. Jan Haut, deputy managing director of the Institute of Sport Science, and Dr. Martin Minarik bid farewell to the participants and expressed their thanks for the lively participation and constructive contributions. Special thanks went to Dinah Kretschmer and to the students of module B.Spo.360 for their dedicated organizational support.
New publications by PD Dr. Jan Haut
Under the title "What is the point of elite sport funding?" PD Dr. Jan Haut has published a current overview of the state of research on societal effects of sporting success and mega sporting events. The contribution appeared in a collected volume co-edited by Haut (https://publikationen.sulb.uni-saarland.de/handle/20.500.11880/39704) in memory of the sport sociologist Eike Emrich.
In addition, a study on measures by German football clubs against antisemitism (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2024.2442917?src=) was published in the International Journal for Sport Policy and Politics, in which Jan Haut was also involved.
Dr. Martin Minarik receives the dissertation award of the “Sociology of the Body and Sports” section of the German Sociological Association
We are pleased to announce that our staff member Dr. Martin Minarik was awarded the dissertation prize of the “Sociology of the Body and Sports” section of the German Sociological Association on 6 December 2024.
Dr. Minarik received the award for his dissertation “In step with the Dao. On the performativity of norms, values, and ideals in Taekwondo practice in South Korea” (2022, transcript Verlag). In a qualitative case study, he examines how the emergence of norms and values in sports practice can be theoretically conceptualized and implemented in terms of research methodology. In doing so, he developed an innovative analytical method that combines praxeography and performance analysis.
With his work, Dr. Minarik not only presents an analytical tool that enables the study of the emergence of norms, values, and cultural, societal, and political meaning complexes in sports practice. He also offers valuable insights into the change of norms and values in South Korea—a perspective that is of particular interest against the backdrop of current societal and political developments in the region.
New publication on AI in sports studies (2024)
At the end of 2023, the project group led by Dennis Krämer (University of Münster), Anja Bosold, Martin Minarik (both University of Göttingen), Cleo Schyvinck (Ghent University), and André Hajek (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf) conducted an online survey among sports students on the topic of artificial intelligence in sports studies.
The study has now been published and is available at the following link: https://doi.org/10.17879/56998624320
New research associate: Welcome Anna Adlwarth (1.3.24).
Since 1 March 2024, Ms. Anna Adlwarth has been working in our unit. Anna Adlwarth is active in research and teaching and, as part of her teaching this semester, is taking on the seminar Sport and Gender in relation to body-related norms. Her research focuses lie at the intersections of sport sociology, gender & postcolonial studies, science and technology studies, and the history of medicine.
Wheelchair basketball event at the Institute of Sport Sciences
On March 5, national player and captain of Hannover United, Jan Sadler, conducted a training session in wheelchair basketball for students of sport science. Jan began with a talk on disability sport and life with a disability in general, followed by specific topics in wheelchair basketball: rules, the field players’ points system, the professionalization of the sport, etc. On the wheelchairs, participants were able to gain initial experience in driving, steering, reversing, in catch-and-pass play, and in 5-on-5. Finally, a game format for wheelchair basketball players and basketball players was demonstrated (see also video clip below). The event ended with a presentation of the nominees for Lower Saxony’s disability athletes and feedback from the participants. Overall, the three hours were very entertaining and very interesting. I hope Jan will visit us again.
CeMEAS WORKSHOP: "Martial Aesthetics before and after Bruce Lee" (15.02–16.02.2024) In 2023, the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death was marked; in 1973 he was only 32 years old. While his physical abilities with regard to fighting remain contested to this day, his influence on cinema, mass media, and martial arts practice is indisputable.
- The aim of this workshop is to examine the diverse influence of Bruce Lee on these different areas from a cultural and media studies perspective. Key questions to be addressed include: How has Bruce Lee’s aesthetics shaped Chinese and global martial arts cinema?
- What are examples of Bruce Lee/martial arts references in popular media culture?
- How is the popular understanding of martial arts influenced by Bruce Lee?
- In what ways has martial arts practice been influenced by Bruce Lee’s ideas and aesthetics? How is Bruce Lee perceived in China today?
- How did Bruce Lee contribute to the empowerment of minorities?
The workshop seeks to shed light on the diverse traces Bruce Lee has left in global popular culture.