This chapter examines a refugee and asylum seeker football project as a form of physical culture in the English city of Preston, partly led by university students through a grassroots football club. Numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons generally have risen sharply in recent years. Almost every country on earth is affected, either as a source, host of refugees and/or point of transit, rendering displacement an issue of global concern. Although the majority of those seeking asylum globally remain in their region of displacement and are consequently housed by developing countries, there is a significant emphasis within Western media coverage on those who attempt to transition to Europe and North America. This research adopts a Global North focus but acknowledges this disproportionality. The work outlines Preston’s cultural and sporting context before addressing and theorising UK immigration and asylum policy. The chapter then examines the Preston project and the role of students connected to such provision and efforts undertaken to promote the integration of displaced people. It also explores perspectives of the impact of the programme in helping participants rebuild their lives in the UK, and the networking opportunities the project has facilitated.

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Theorising Displacement and Immigration and Contextualising Integration Through Physical Culture: Examining a Student-Led, Refugee and Asylum Seeker Football Project in England

  • Joel Rookwood

摘要

This chapter examines a refugee and asylum seeker football project as a form of physical culture in the English city of Preston, partly led by university students through a grassroots football club. Numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons generally have risen sharply in recent years. Almost every country on earth is affected, either as a source, host of refugees and/or point of transit, rendering displacement an issue of global concern. Although the majority of those seeking asylum globally remain in their region of displacement and are consequently housed by developing countries, there is a significant emphasis within Western media coverage on those who attempt to transition to Europe and North America. This research adopts a Global North focus but acknowledges this disproportionality. The work outlines Preston’s cultural and sporting context before addressing and theorising UK immigration and asylum policy. The chapter then examines the Preston project and the role of students connected to such provision and efforts undertaken to promote the integration of displaced people. It also explores perspectives of the impact of the programme in helping participants rebuild their lives in the UK, and the networking opportunities the project has facilitated.