Dualities of Space in Danish Sports History

In this article, inspiration from the work of the human geographers John Bale and Yi-Fu Tuan is combined with an ethnographic perspective on sporting spaces as historical landscapes. The ethnographic study of Danish sports history is developed via insights derived from the work of the British anthropologist Tim Ingold who suggests that we should reflect on the way in which history is ‘lived’ in specific landscapes. More precisely, this article suggests that the history of sport in Denmark is best approached with an awareness of both folk gymnastics and competitive sports and the dual organizational structure that supports these separate traditions. Ethnographic fieldwork undertaken at two colleges that train physical educators for folk gymnastics and competitive sports respectively generates analysis of these institutions as historical landscapes in which contrasting traditions survive in materialized forms. Briefly, buildings are carriers of traditions that influence the social organization of those who inhabit the landscapes today.