Theory and Practice of Physical Culture № 12 2016

Dr.Hab., Professor O.A. Selivanova¹
Applicant A.A. Kraev^1
1Tyumen State University, Tyumen

Keywords: xenophobia, extremism, xenophobic behaviour, prevention, areas of preventive initiatives, preventive potential of physical culture and sports.

Background. Lately the relevant national agencies have reported the hate crimes being on the rise including the xenophobia and extremism fuelled offences committed by young people (as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, young people under 30 years of age comprise 80% of the extremist groups detected in the country). As reported by the relevant sociological surveys, it is the inter-ethnic relations that dominate among the grounds for extremism and xenophobia, with up to 40% of the young people polled reporting more or less strong antipathy to other ethnic groups; going next are the political (12%) and religious (4–5%) biases. The Tyumen region is historically ranked high on the list of the Russian regions with relatively high risks of hate crimes that is due to the multinational and multi-religious background and the high immigration flows into the area.

Objective of the study was to analyze еру content of the key programmatic activities to prevent xenophobic attitudes in the local young population by means of the municipal-level physical culture and sport initiatives.

Methods and structure of the study. Xenophobia is normally interpreted as the expressed intolerance to the groups that are commonly accepted by the locals as “foreign” and/or the fears raised by certain ethnic communities or religious groups. Xenophobia on the whole and the young people’s xenophobic behaviours in particular have long been a subject matter for studies by many national (G.U. Soldatova, A.A. Nalchzhan, B.V. Levada, L.V. Kulikov, V.N. Kunitsyna, N.M. Lebedeva, I.M. Nikol’skaya, N.N. Obozov, V.N. Panferov, B.D. Parygin, L.A. Petrovskaya, Y.P. Platonov, L.G. Pochebut, A.L. Sventsitskiy, V.E. Semenov, E.V. Sidorenko. Z.V. Sikevich, M.L. Torocheshnikova, A.A. Levchenko et al.) and foreign (D. Horovitz, D. King, J.W. Tettleton, J. Hurt, M. Gallagher, M.D. Eshelman, H. Klingemann) researchers.

Xenophobic attitudes, as opposed to the extremist ones, may be interpreted as the specific behavioural models based on and propelled by the relevant ideological grounds, poorly connected symbols, archetypes and slogans that trespass the commonly accepted social behavioural standards and are geared to actively avoid or aggressively attack “foreign” social, cultural, national, religious and other groups. Propagation of such behavioural models in young people’s groups is considered a highly dangerous trend since the xenophobic attitudes and manifestations may vary from modest concerns and viciousness to prejudiced suspicions and fears that give rise to expressed hostilities and hatred. Particularly dangerous are the situations when xenophobic attitudes and rhetoric in support of aggressive actions or mass aggression against foreign people may outburst into hate offences triggered by some stress situations and mass conflicts based on the relevant ideology. Open manifestations of such xenophobic attitudes may be extremely aggressive and include attacks on foreigners, mass clashes of different ethnic groups, vandalism etc. As reported by Levada Centre in its questionnaire survey report “Xenophobia and nationalism” of 2015, up to 25% of the respondents believe that bloody ethnic clashes are quite probable in Russia.

As things now stand, the xenophobia prevention initiatives focused on the local youth population are dominated by intercultural and patriotic events or restrictive measures (like curfew restrictions, age limits for access to specific establishments etc.). The modern youth-focused governmental policies show a trend for revision of the traditional ways to prevent xenophobia including, among other things, advanced education meant to address the origins of the negative attitudes in adolescents and young people with due account of the age-, mentality- and social-environment-specific traits and sensitivities of the children, adolescents and young people. The xenophobia prevention system is to be designed for a long term with due developmental potential and embrace a wide spectrum of the relevant social subjects and personality socialization tools. It is a matter of common knowledge that physical culture and sports provide ample and universally applicable means for prevention of a variety of harmful habits and behavioural models (including alcoholism, smoking, abuse of inhalants, drug addiction etc.) and may be used, in combination with some other methods, to improve the adolescents’ physical, mental and ethical health and form healthy ethical and psychological climate in their teams and groups [1, 2, 4, 6].  Physical culture and sports in their best formats and applications are highly supportive in cultivating the best modern humanistic and tolerant attitudes and values in every person and citizen since the very ideology of sport competitions and individual physical self-improvement is dominated by the natural desire for truth, peace and perfection.

The Tyumen municipal and regional agencies for the last decades have accumulated vast experience of the young peoples’ xenophobia and intolerance prevention initiatives and designed the relevant integrated prevention system with an emphasis on the local physical culture and sports. Pursuant to the relevant provisions of the long-term special regional program “Key Activities to Implement the National Government Policies in the Inter-ethnic, Public-Religious and Social-Political Relationships and the Extremism Prevention Policies in the Period up to 2020”, the Tyumen-based physical culture and sport institutions have undertaken systemic initiatives to prevent all kinds of national, religious and political extremism and radicalism in the local young population to facilitate normal social development in the region, contribute to the progress of non-governmental institutions and promote tolerant attitudes in the local young peoples’ groups. Due cooperation agreements were reached with the relevant extremism control agencies and interests in the region including leaders of the law enforcement bodies, heads of religious groups and ethnic diasporas and authorities of different religious confessions in the region. Special emphasis in the xenophobia prevention initiatives has been given to the cultural activity by the relevant physical culture and sport institutions.

Study results and discussion. At the municipal level, good progress was made in developing and implementing an Integrated Extremism- and Xenophobia-Prevention Program in application to trainees of the local physical culture and sport institutions. The relevant local physical culture and sport institutions implement the following key actions under the Program:

1. Form due ideological background at a sport institution to ensure harmonized interpretation and understanding of such terms as extremism, xenophobia, intolerance, discrimination etc. by the trainees.

It is the ideology of internationalism and friendly competition that has been implemented as the ideological background for interpersonal relations at the municipal physical culture and sport institutions (under the slogan “Oh, sport, you mean peace!”) to foster spiritual unity, friendship of nations and inter-ethnic agreement and cultivate due Russian patriotism in the modern corporate culture context (i.e. based on interpreting the corporate environment as the space for friendship, mutual assistance and support). This approach gives the means for the trainee to self-identify in the context of the individual key social roles and positions (as the person self-improving in the physical aspects and the athlete striving to excel his/her individual and/ or teamwork skills); and shift the “home-foreign” focus from the latent but dangerous national/ religious and the alike agenda to the universal paradigm of “striving for professional/ sport progress regardless of sex, race, nation or religion” to put the individual progress in line with the socialization mission of the sport institution (sport school, section etc.) thereby building up tolerance to different ethnic groups in the trainees. Persistent efforts are being taken to cultivate the ideologically unified components of the national-religious consciousness important for the xenophobia-intolerant world outlook formation in the trainees.

2. Build up a system of tolerant and constructive interrelations of the trainees. This activity is geared to establish due information and positive balances in the messages related to manifestations of intolerant and tolerant behavioural models (with due emphasis on friendship, mutual assistance, support etc.) within the sport institution; and to personify (specify) the most valuable traits of the trainees in the national-confessional contexts (when applicable) to form positive behavioural models in the preparatory, pre-competitive training and competitive periods, i.e. give good examples of the xenophobia-intolerant behaviours (mutual assistance, support, help to the friend in need or partner in sport competitions – regardless of religious/ national affiliations).

3. Shape up due informational policies at the physical culture and sport institutions to cultivate positive senses and attitudes in relation to a variety of national/ religious/ cultural events or actions. This activity includes the initiatives to appreciate the historical sport traditions and give further support to the national specifics, traditional friendship and mutual respect of the Slavic, Turkic, Caucasian, Finno-Ugric, Mongolian and other ethnic groups in Russia long coexisting in the joint Euro-Asian national/ cultural universe; and to help create environment of deep respect to the relevant cultural values of each community/ group [4].

4. Develop the emotional and volitional qualities and positive needs and motivations in the trainees of the physical culture and sport institutions to: prevent stressful situations and encourage ethical behavioural models being formed to prepare the young people to a variety of life situations [3]; develop due interest in unusual, unconventional actions in the training and competitive processes and apply the new experience for own athletic progress; acquire the ability to effectively share own physical training/ competitive experience with trainees in other sport disciplines or differently skilled trainees; and help build up a due culture of inter-ethnic relations on the whole.

One of the positives examples of the benefits of the children’s and youth xenophobia-prevention program implemented by the municipal advanced education establishments is the success record of the Tyumen-based Children’s and Youth Centre “Grad” that homes people of 23 nationalities and each of them, irrespective of the ethnic affiliation, proudly calls him/herself “Grad-mate”. It should be noted in this context that the Centre is basically designed for the military and patriotic education with a high priority given to athletic training of the children (including combat hand-to-hand fights etc.) and studies of history and culture of the Russian nations supported by a variety of patriotic and civic values cultivating events.

Conclusion. Persistent efforts to implement the municipal-level Program have yielded good benefits. Consistent joint efforts in the physical culture and sport domain have given the means to prevent mass outbursts of xenophobia and extremism in the local young people’s communities. At this juncture (2016), 69.4% of the respondents were found to consider the social and political situation in the Tyumen city and region stable enough (the sample included 1500 trainees aged 12 to 17 years from 16 municipal sport establishments and 8 municipal advanced education institutions). The present situation with the inter-ethnic and inter-religious relationships in the region was rated as stable by 76.8% and 80.5% of the respondents, respectively.

References

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Corresponding author: towerred1966@mail.ru

Abstract

The article analyzes the definitions and meanings of the notions “xenophobic activity” and “extremism” and outlines the xenophobia prevention potential of the national physical culture and sports system. It considers the frame content of the major municipal-level physical culture and sport initiatives to prevent xenophobic attitudes in young people. The study demonstrates positive results of persistent initiatives to implement the relevant municipal-level initiatives. Consistent joint efforts in the physical culture and sport domain have given the means to prevent mass outbursts of xenophobia and extremism in the local young population. At this juncture (2016), 69.4% of the respondents were found to consider the social and political situation in the Tyumen city and region stable enough (the sample included 1500 trainees aged 12 to 17 years from 16 municipal sport establishments and 8 municipal advanced education institutions). The present situation with the inter-ethnic and inter-religious relationships in the region was rated as stable by 76.8% and 80.5% of the respondents, respectively.