Understanding Movement: A Sociocultural Approach to Exploring Moving Humans

The purpose of the article is to outline a sociocultural way of exploring human movement. Our ambition is to develop an analytical framework where moving humans are explored in terms of what it means to move as movements are performed by somebody, for a certain purpose, and in a certain situation. We find this approach in poststructural theorizing, primarily in the work of scholars who emphasize the materiality of the sign, and the performative function of discourse. We will use this approach to engage with motor development, motor ability testing of children, and the results deriving from such practices. In addition, we engage in a critical discussion of some current attempts to complement biomechanical, medical, and psychological ways of understanding movement with phenomenological and sociocultural perspectives. We conclude by stressing the importance of exploring what it could mean to move in an endless range of moves (and bodies and identities).