Understanding Meaning and Value in Parkour – Dr Signe Højbjerre Larsen (pt1) – Meaningful Sport Series

Parkour is a movement culture where practitioners use urban spaces and obstacles such as benches or rails for practising a variety of impressive movements. Its popularity has exploded in the recent years and for example in Denmark it is also a part of physical education. Today, we will explore parkour from a philosophical and sociological perspective and ask whether parkour can offer moments of non-alienated experience in urban spaces. 

Dr Signe Højbjerre Larsen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark. Her research has focused on lifestyle sports and play, as well the institutionalisation of these activities.

Signe's articles on today's topic include:

What can the parkour craftsmen tell us about bodily expertise and skilled movement?

Parkour: playing the modern, accelerated city

Parkour as acrobatics: an existential phenomenological study of movement in parkour

Signe has also featured in "My Playground", a documentary on Parkour which you can access here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEFSXAgowV4

You can follow Signe on Twitter @signehoj