engleski

Basketball and 'heritage in-the-making' in Zagreb: Youth activism in public space and conflict with the local political and sports establishment

The concept of heritage has long been used in the social sciences as a static, unchanging category. We approach heritage as a dynamic category whose definition depends on the sociopolitical and socioeconomic context of society and the local community, as well as the structure of social relations towards heritage. Donnelly (1993) affirmed that the participatory dimension of sport as a human right is of great importance in promoting democratic values and affirming them in the local community. Sport thus has the capacity to transform and change both communities and society in general. The goal of our research is to explain the social activism of young people regarding heritage related to Dražen Petrović and the current state of KK Cibona Zagreb basketball club. The data for our research was collected in 2020 using the ethnographic method, which included both individual semi-structured interviews and group walking interviews in public space related to KK Cibona in the centre of Zagreb. These young people in Zagreb are socially engaged, adopting and using public space related to KK Cibona and its heritage. The observed group of youths, members of the 'Mi smo Cibona' NGO, consisted of 20 members (between 21 and 27 years of age). These youths emphasise the importance of preserving heritage related to Dražen Petrović. The heritage of KK Cibona is shaped by the formal and informal context in which the cultural knowledge of these youths develops, encouraging them to participate in intercultural dialogue and the struggle against corruption and clientelism in sports. What both connects and significantly differentiates 'outsiders' from activists in the walking interviews is the club identity and collective memory of Dražen Petrović. Their social activism represents an innovation in Zagreb as concerns basketball and related institutional practices. Research has shown that this space of youth cultural activity represents an important space of tolerance, intercultural dialogue, and the affirmation of the democratic potential of youth in Zagreb.

youth, social activism, sport, Dražen Petrović, heritage

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