ABSTRACT

Social circus has emerged as a complement to regular health and welfare interventions for identified target groups, often striving for social change. Previous studies point out the challenge of identifying target groups without simultaneously positioning said groups as ‘others’. Although children and childhood are intimately intertwined with circus, not least as target groups for circus arts interventions, there are no previous studies that examine constitutions of childhood through social circus. This article is based on a 1.5-year long ethnographic fieldwork on a project using circus in asylum accommodations in Sweden. The aim is to explore the childhood(s) constituted through social circus practice in asylum accommodations in Sweden, with focus on the work of the social circus team. The analysis draws upon childhood sociology informed by critical theory, asking what discursive positions are offered the target group through the social circus project. The analysis shows that when identifying the target group, the team navigated through contradictory discourses. Establishing and upholding a discourse on childhood as playful, the circus activities interrupted the positioning of children in dislocation as ‘others’. The design of the project, as well as the ever-shifting roles in the interaction between all participants, enabled new positions for all.

摘要

社会马戏团已成为对已确定目标群体定期进行健康和福利干预措施的补充，经常致力于社会变革。先前的研究指出了在不将目标群体定位为“其他”群体的情况下识别目标群体的挑战。尽管儿童和儿童时期与马戏团紧密地交织在一起，尤其是作为马戏艺术干预的目标群体，但以前没有研究通过社交马戏团审查儿童时期的体质。本文基于在瑞典的一个庇护所中使用马戏团进行的项目历时1.5年的人种志田野调查。目的是探索在瑞典的避难所中通过社交马戏团实践而构成的童年，重点是社交马戏团团队的工作。该分析借鉴了批判理论指导下的儿童社会学，询问通过社交马戏项目向目标群体提供哪些话语位置。分析表明，在确定目标人群时，团队会通过矛盾的话题进行导航。马戏团的活动建立并坚持了关于童年的嬉戏话语，从而打断了处于错位状态的儿童作为“其他人”的定位。项目的设计以及所有参与者之间互动中不断变化的角色，为所有人提供了新的职位。马戏团的活动打断了错位儿童作为“其他人”的定位。项目的设计以及所有参与者之间互动中不断变化的角色，为所有人提供了新的职位。马戏团的活动打断了错位儿童作为“其他人”的定位。项目的设计以及所有参与者之间互动中不断变化的角色，为所有人提供了新的职位。