Development and appropriation of an integration policy for sport: how Danish sports clubs have become arenas for ethnic integration

To answer why sports clubs have been ascribed a central role in resolving integration issues in Denmark, this article refers to the anthropology of policy. First, policy is defined as what Mauss has called ‘a total social fact’. In other words, policy is a social phenomenon that reflects the history and culture of the society in which it is created. Second, policy is seen as discourses that are articulated by specific institutions, and third, the anthropological perspective focuses on the ways in which policy is applied and interpreted in practice. The first part of this article therefore explores Danish immigration history and the development of an integration policy that currently focuses on adaptation of the cultural values and norms of immigrants. The second part of this article looks at current state funds that aim to promote this kind of adaptation through sports. It becomes clear that sports clubs are seen as organizations that distribute social capital, promote equality in society and facilitate informal learning. The third part of this article refers to a number of studies that highlight the ways in which club leaders, coaches and members (with ethnic Danish as well as non-Danish ethnic background) appropriate these political assumptions.