Reconsidering and Re-Conceptualizing Kinesiology

The purpose of this article is to delineate a more humanistic view of kinesiology by drawing on the rich, but often overlooked, phenomenology of movement literature (Arnold, 1979; Brown & Payne, 2009; Merleau-Ponty, 1962). Brown and Payne (2009) maintain that "phenomenology is a reaction against...the scientization of [kinesiology] that sees its conceptualization, contextualization, representation, and legitimation primarily as a science" (p. 423). By drawing on the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1962) and Peter Arnold (1979), I argue that kinesiology is not only a scientific discipline charged with creating and disseminating scientifically-based knowledge, but also a field of study that encompasses the performing arts where the experience of movement is valued and appreciated for what it is, independent of scientific analysis or study.