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Fear and loathing in Lesotho: An autoethnographic analysis of sport for development and peace

International Review for the Sociology of Sport

Published online on

Abstract

This paper is an autoethnographic analysis of my experiences working for a year in southern Africa on a sport for development and peace (SDP) project. I reflect on the ways in which some of my day-to-day practices exemplified aspects of whiteness and masculinity. In terms of methodology, I combine literature from autoethnography and arts-based inquiry to argue for the use of drawing as a method of inquiry and a mode of presentation to examine and illustrate my experiences as a young, white, male development worker/"expert". I present three graphic vignettes that I produced through reflections on my experiences and through reading literature from critical race and development scholars. The ultimate aim with this paper is to put forward a critical counter-narrative that upsets the "white savior" story that is common within development and SDP.