Today, the endless and chronic acceleration seems to constitute a “totalitarian power” that fundamentally alters the nature and the quality of our relationship with the world, with others, with ourselves and with our bodies. If acceleration is set up as the main cause of our alienation (which can take the form of indifference or hostility), the answer would lie less in deceleration than in resonance. This concept describes a specific form of relationship with the world, that is as fulfilling as transformative. Rare and precious, resonance remains unpredictable; the world is thus described as “unavailable”, escaping any overzealous attempt to make it emerge or even to control it.

Argument

Hartmut Rosa’s reflections originally documented the processes of acceleration that define our late modernity (Rosa, 2010). The philosopher distinguishes three forms of acceleration: the technical acceleration, the acceleration of social changes and the acceleration of the pace of life. Acceleration is the dual result of the spread of the competitive logic to all spheres of life and the secularization of our societies. Today, the endless and chronic acceleration seems to constitute a “totalitarian power” that fundamentally alters the nature and the quality of our relationship with the world, with others, with ourselves and with our bodies. If acceleration is set up as the main cause of our alienation (which can take the form of indifference or hostility), the answer would lie less in deceleration than in resonance (Rosa, 2021). This concept describes a specific form of relationship with the world, that is as fulfilling as transformative. Rare and precious, resonance remains unpredictable; the world is thus described as “unavailable”, escaping any overzealous attempt to make it emerge or even to control it (Rosa, 2020).

Rosa’s work has enjoyed a remarkable international dissemination and response since 2010. However, it has to be said that it has not been systematically discussed in the community of sport philosophers. In our view, this is all the more unfortunate given the numerous and substantial implications of these reflections in the field of bodily practices and sporting activities. Rosa himself sees the body (and its movement) as the primary medium of our relationship to the world. He also devotes entire chapters to the practice and the spectacle of sport, which he sees as privileged areas of resonance. Despite this, Rosa’s comments on sport remain mostly anecdotal. Moreover, very few works have proposed to question the concepts of resonance, alienation and acceleration in the fields of sport and physical education (Larsen, 2021; Larocque, 2022; Quidu, 2017, 2023; Quidu et al, 2023; Plard, 2019; Rochedy, 2015; Andrieu et al., 2018; Bourbousson, 2023; Terré et al., 2023; Paintendre et al., 2023; Frydendal & Thing, 2023). This special issue aims to bridge this gap by adopting a questioning stance towards Rosa’s production: does it help to renew, federate and bring to the fore original reflections on relationships to the body, to others, to objects and to the environment in the sporting context? The aim will be to challenge Rosa’s reflections, to assess their scope and discuss their foundations, contributions and limitations in the field of the philosophy and the ethics of sport.

Themes and topics

the contributions may develop one of the following headings:

-Acceleration, temporalities and resonance: according to Rosa, resonance appears to be the response to acceleration. Between short and long times, speed and slowness, how can we achieve resonance? Can we understand resonance in its temporal dynamics, considering the triple scale of strings, axes and dispositions to resonance? What difference do Rosa’s concepts and reflections on the philosophy of time, or more precisely of times, in the fields of physical exercise and sport?

-Entering resonance and transforming ourselves: what role do the learning of body technique and the development of motor skills play in the experience of resonance? According to Rosa, there is an antinomy between resonance and competence. Nevertheless, isn’t a minimum level of efficiency necessary to experience resonance? Are the notions of domination and resonance compatible? What experiences of resonance are worth having in physical practice? How can we transform by accepting to be transformed? Among other approaches, this section will offer reflections on the philosophy of education, in particular with a view to discussing the “resonance pedagogy” proposed by Rosa (2016).

-The conditions that make it possible to enter into resonance (or to remain in alienation). According to Rosa, resonance only emerges against a background of resistance. Is it possible to study a phenomenon that is characterized by its unavailability and reversibility? How can we develop a disposition to resonance without reducing it to a search for positive emotions? What conditions might encourage resonance and, symmetrically, the maintenance of alienation (Rosa & Vieweg, 2014)? Reflections on the genealogy of the concepts of alienation, resonance and acceleration from the history of philosophy may be included.

The various contributions brought together may focus on a given sporting activity (with the aim of diversifying the disciplines studied: outdoor activities, team or combat sports, CrossFit, yoga, etc.) or on a comparison of several activities, with an effort to put them into perspective and make them more general. The sports show could also be taken as an object.

More specifically, we want to examine Rosa’s thinking from the point of view of theoretical models, concepts and methodologies, as well as intervention practices.

-How has Rosa’s work been used in the fields of bodily practices, sport and PE? A particular emphasis will be given to the international diversity of ways in which Hartmut Rosa’s ideas have been appropriated and adapted to local philosophical traditions.

-How can resonance be positioned in relation to other concepts used in different research programs (emotions, ecology, appropriation, enaction, experiences, flow, empathy, etc.)? Moreover, the philosophical roots of Rosa’s work need to be explored, in a kind of genealogy of his concepts of resonance, alienation and/or acceleration. Some influences are explained by the philosopher, while others need to be reconstructed. To illustrate, some of the roots or matrices of Rosa’s thoughts can be traced back to Hegel’s philosophy of alienation. An implicit inspiration in the ecological philosophy of Arne Næss could also be discussed. In any case, the aim here is to establish a dialogue between Rosa and the authors who, explicitly or otherwise, guided him, in an effort to put his philosophy into perspective.

-What empirical data can shed light on resonance processes, and using what methodologies?

-To what extent can the concepts of resonance and alienation inspire a renewal of practice in PE and sport?

Ultimately, our aim is to discuss philosophically, from a perspective that is both enthusiastic and critical, the issues and extensions associated with Rosa’s thinking in the fields of sport and PE.

Submission process

papers will be submitted in 2 stages:

• an initial phase in which an intention to contribute is submitted in the form of a 2-pages note of intend (5,000 characters, excluding a bibliography of 10 to 15 references). The received abstracts will then be classified on the basis of their relevance to the spirit of the special issue and with a view to ensuring complementarity between articles.
• the selected contributors will then produce a complete text in accordance with the instructions given to the journal’s authors (https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rsep20). Each complete text received will then be assessed by two reviewers through a standard double-blind peer review process.

Timetable

Publication of the call for papers: 15 March 2024.

• Deadline for the reception of abstracts: 1 June 2024.
• Deadline for the selection of abstracts: 15 July 2024.
• Deadline for sending the 1st version of full papers: 1 February 2025.
• Deadline for sending evaluations to authors: 1 April 2025.
• Deadline for the reception of the 2nd version of the articles, revised, enriched and fully brought up to standard: 1st June 2025.
• Complete and final issue sent to the journal board: autumn 2025.
• Publication of the special issue: 1st semester of 2026.

Organising committee

• Matthieu Quidu, Senior Lecturer, Université Lyon 1 (France), Laboratoire sur les Vulnérabilités et l’Innovation dans le Sport (L-ViS); matthieu.quidu@univ-lyon1.fr
• Jérôme Visioli, Senior Lecturer, Université Bretagne Occidentale (France), Centre de recherche sur l’éducation, les apprentissages et la didactique (CREAD); jerome.visioli@univ-brest.fr
• Brice Favier-Ambrosini, Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (Canada), Centre de Recherche Interuniversitaire sur la Formation et la Profession Enseignante (CRIFPE) ; Brice_Favier-Ambrosini@uqac.ca
• Bernard Andrieu, Professor, Université Paris Cité (France); Institut des Sciences du Sport-Santé de Paris (I3SP); bernard.andrieu@u-paris.fr

References

Andrieu, B., Parry J., Sirost O. & Porrovecchio, A. (eds.) (2018). Body Ecology and Emersive Leisure. London, Routledge.

Bourbousson, J. (2023). Enseigner l’EPS. Devenir soi : entre résistances et résonances.

Independently published.

Frydendal, S. & Thing, L. (2023). PE as resonance? The role of physical education in an accelerated education system. Sport, Education and Society.

Larocque, E. (2022). Le yoga en contexte de plein air : une pratique écospirituelle au service de la résonance au vivant. Éducation relative à l’environnement, 17.

Larsen, S. (2021). Parkour: playing the modern accelerated city. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 48.

Paintendre, A., Schirrer, M. & Andrieu, B. (2023). Sensory learning in physical education and deceleration experiences during accelerated physical activity: the example of step fitness in a school setting. Movement and Sport Sciences, 119.

Plard, M. (2023). The Immersive Experience of Trail Running: A Philosophical Investigation Here and Now in Motion. The International Journal of Sport and Society, 14.

Quidu, M., Favier-Ambrosini, B., Schirrer, M. & Visioli, J. (2023). Entre résonance et aliénation. Interroger les pratiques sportives contemporaines. Revue EP&S, 398.

Quidu, M. (2023). Vivre ses multiples micro-carrières sportives en accéléré : sur la voracité, la versatilité et l’impatience sportives contemporaines. Loisir et société, 46(1).

Quidu, M. (2017). Les activités sportives « hybrides » comme réponse à l’accélération des rythmes de vie. Temporalités. http://temporalites.revues.org/3665

Rochedy, R. (2015). Analyse d’un espace de décélération : l’exemple de l’ultra-trail. Staps, 107.

Rosa, H. (2021). Resonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World. Cambridge, Polity Press.

Rosa, H. (2020). The Uncontrollability of the World. Cambridge, Polity Press. Rosa, H. (2016). Resonanz pädagogik. Beltz.

Rosa, H. (2010). Alienation and Acceleration: Towards a Critical Theory of Late-Modern Temporality. NSU Press.

Rosa, H. & Vieweg K. (eds.) (2014). Zur Architektonik praktischer Vernunft – Hegel in Transformation. Berlin, Duncker & Humblot.

Terré, N., Paintendre, A., Gottsmann, L. & Visioli, J. (2023). La pédagogie de la résonance : une proposition féconde pour l’EPS ? Revue EP&S, 398.