Sport and love: an emotional paradigm for meaningful collaborations in the sport for development and peace sector

This paper proposes a philosophical framework for meaningful and collaborative governance within the field and practice of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP), rooted around the concept of love. Recognizing the breadth of the word ‘love’ in the English language, I dissect this emotion through the help of classical studies and the decolonial, feminist thought of bell hooks. The discussion is organized around different classical translations of the word ‘love’, namely referring to desire, self-love, fun, solidarity and spirituality. Ultimately, love presents an alternative to meaningfully account for individual and collective well-being, and can be used as a powerful paradigm to guide collaborative decision-making. I conclude by highlighting the importance of finding alternative paradigms within the SDP field, exploring possibilities of radical change that may challenge an often-problematic status quo. To do so, the field should collectively engage with transdisciplinarity, multilingualism, and alternative ways of thinking.