Building a case for infusing posthumanist thinking in the qualitative training of sport and exercise psychology researchers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology is a flourishing area of inquiry. Nonetheless, several limitations with conventional humanist qualitative research have been identified, most prominently how preformed methodologies impede a full appreciation of the complexity of existence. As a viable alternative, a posthumanist lens on inquiry has been advanced as a means of orienting thinking in a different direction. The purpose of the present article lies in building a case for infusing posthumanist thinking in the qualitative training of sport and exercise psychology researchers. Posthumanism is deployed not as a “doing away” with humanist approaches to research but as an ontological lens that instigates novel insights for how we can think qualitative training differently. The article first situates humanism and humanist education, followed by an overview of the limitations of conventional humanist qualitative research. A rationale for posthumanist thinking is offered, along with some of the fundamental tenets of posthumanism. A move toward infusing posthumanist thinking in qualitative training in sport and exercise psychology is undertaken through six suggested supervising and teaching practices: (a) encouraging graduate students to start inquiry with concepts, (b) nurturing environments where graduate students can readthinkwrite, (c) training graduate students to reposition voice, (d) exposing graduate students to the importance of thinking beyond the human, (e) reimagining the role of the supervisor/teacher, and (f) inspiring graduate students to compost and make kin. In the concluding thoughts, two interrogations relating to the neoliberal university and the Anthropocene are raised that posthumanist thinking can help situate differently.