Skateboarding in Gran La Plata. Internal logic and external logic of a body practice in the process of changes

Abstract

The main objective was to analyze skateboarding practices that take place in urban spaces in Gran La Plata (Ensenada, Berisso and La Plata districts), in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This article addresses the main axes and conclusions of a scientific investigation and the relationships that are established between this bodily practice and the field of Physical Education. Among some antecedents of previous studies on the subject we find Calogirou and Touché (1995), Saraví (2012, 2019), and Borden (2019), among others. In response  to this, a part of the investigative work was focused on analyzing the internal logic of skateboarding, understood as the main characteristics of a practice. The study was carried out through a qualitative methodology, mainly through participant observations and semi-structured interviews. The conclusions show the coexistence of different modes of skateboarding both in relation to the spaces used (street or street, and tracks or skateparks), as well as in relation to the way it is practiced and understood by the skaters themselves. It is emphasized that skateboarding can be approached from a more "free" way, or another more regulated and sporty way. Ultimately, it is a bodily practice that exhibits different facets, showing a dynamism that prevents it from being corseted into rigid conceptualizations. Without a doubt, from the perspective of social sciences, skateboarding is consolidated as an internationally recognized research topic, which when analyzed and studied in depth, allows us a better understanding of current urban societies.